Legend of Zelda: Darkness Orb
by YamiNeco
Summary: Decades after Ganondorf is sealed under the Great Ocean in LOZ: WW, the Gods release the kingdom of Hyrule from the bottom of the ocean. Ganondorf is back, but he isn't the only threat. What is the Darkness Orb? Where's the Hero of Time? OCxOC
1. The Prologue

The sky, once brightly decorated with thousands of stars, had become consumed by the darkness of heavy clouds. Pouring mercilessly from the heavens, as though a deity wept, torrential rains had overcome all of Hyrule. Any poor citizens stuck outside at the time of the rain hurried to the nearest place of shelter. The rain was not alone however; lightning periodically lit up the sky, and thunder crashed with a boom. Within the old, stone walls of Hyrule Castle Town, a miracle had occurred. The Queen of Hyrule gave birth to her first child: a healthy baby girl.

"Oh, please, give her here…" The Queen requested, holding her arms out towards her daughter who was understandably upset by the loud thunder outside. She began to fuss and squirm.

"What shall you name the child, Your Highness?" The maid asked as she quickly hurried over to the Queen to pass the child to her.

"Well, the King and I discussed it. Her name shall be Zelda, like her ancestors. We want her to be as strong as the princesses of legend." The Queen replied as she carefully took the infant into her arms. She smiled, as she looked her beautiful baby girl over.

"An excellent choice, Your Highness. I am quite fond of the name myself. If you'll excuse me, I'll go find the nurse. You and the Princess should be properly attended to. I can tell the nurse to give you some moments alone, if you wish." The maid bowed in respect before exiting the room and closing the door behind her as quietly as she could manage. Baby Zelda was still fussing slightly, but her mood improved as the Queen started to slowly rock her in her arms.

"Zelda, you are such a special girl: you are a Princess. One day, you shall rule this great Kingdom…" The Queen whispered softly as she lightly ran a finger across the baby's delicate skin.

At least an hour passed before the Queen grew worried. The nurse had not appeared, and her husband had not knocked on the door either. Just as she was summoning up the strength to get up and search for someone herself, a knock came through the door and the King quickly appeared in the doorway. At first she smiled at the sight of her husband, but her smile quickly faded. His face was deathly pale. She was worried, but surely his face was not in response to anything wrong with his daughter since the nurse had not spent enough time with the young girl to perform standard tests. Just as she was going to ask what was wrong, her husband spoke.

"…Dear, we need to talk. It is a matter that concerns the safety of this Kingdom." He finally said.

"Is it so important that we cannot even celebrate the birth of your heir? She is perfectly healthy as far as I can tell."

"Therein lies the problem; come with me. The child can come, too. I cannot make this decision without your input." The King hurried to the bed to help his wife stand. When he observed she seemed to be more or less as strong as ever, he opened the door for her and walked with her to his private chambers. They only had a couple of weeks left. The sky was even darker than before. Only the King thought the weather was a sign of greater things to come.

_Princess…one day, you will understand._ The King thought solemnly. He knew the news he was about to pass on to his wife would not be received well, but his hands were tied. At least the plan he devised gave them time: time to research what they were up against, time to prepare for the greater threat to come, and time for the Princess.


	2. 1 Goddess' Prophecy and Her Champion

The oppressive sun let nothing escape its wrath. The ground and air were stiff with heat and not even the shade of the few trees provided any comfort. The rock walls were weak and dusty from the lack of moisture, and every step kicked up a flurry of thick dust. Despite the Spirit Temple being located next to an oasis, a band of people felt no more comfortable working on it. Amidst the extremities of desert life, a people thrived. They were known as the Gerudo, a wily group of women; they were one of the seven races of the Kingdom of Hyrule.

"C'mon you guys, there's no point continuing in this sandstorm!" shouted Zukto, trying to yell over the roaring wind to his teammates. He held his left hand above his eyes and squinted, to try and increase his field of visibility. He could not discern any improvement, unfortunately. The sand was being viciously whipped about, nearly hindering communication.

"Right… it's too thick, even for us. This is really dangerous!" agreed Nelona, fumbling with some tools she had been trying to use for the past half hour, quite unsuccessfully.

"Zukto, don't worry, you've done great. We can finish by tomorrow no problem." Nabooru said. The esteemed leader of the Gerudo calmly gathered up their tools and shut them into a box. Zukto hoisted it up on one shoulder and signaled the others to follow. The walk back to the Gerudo Base would take a while longer since visibility was at an all-time low, but Zukto and his friends were used to this kind of thing. They had to talk loudly to hear one another, but the long walk back to their Fortress was passed with lively conversation. In order not to lose their way, the Gerudo had erected posts tied with huge, bright ribbons that marked the safest route through the desert. Whenever they traveled between the Fortress and the Temple, the travelers always made the habit of tapping the post with their hands, to make sure the post was real. For those who took the desert lightly, mirages were a threat. Finally, Zukto pushed against the last post.

"We're in the clear everyone! We're home!" He declared. The group cheered happily, and chatted even more excitedly. At the Fortress, the sandstorm was virtually non-existent.

"Gosh, I'm so tired. Nabooru, can we have the rest of the day off?" Nelona asked.

The Gerudo Leader looked thoughtful. "You can have tonight off, and tomorrow." No sooner than she announced the good news, someone quickly approached the group. It was another Gerudo woman, though her stature was quite petite; she was the smallest adult in the Tribe. Sometimes she was made fun of for it, but she was arguably one of the best Gerudo warriors so she was well-respected in spite of her size.

"Welcome back, you guys! But you were gone way longer than expected; what happened?" Reta asked worriedly. She glanced at her friends to look for any signs of injury.

"Don't worry, Reta. The sandstorm near the temple was just a bit rougher than normal; we're fine. We'll just have to wait to complete the restoration of the temple." Nabooru said, smiling slightly. Zukto never failed to impress her; but then again if she thought he would let her down, she would have never accepted him as her pupil in the first place.

"Tomorrow? Really? What's the occasion, Master Nabooru?" Zukto asked, bringing the conversation back on track. He was confused; they rarely had days off.

"… You will know in due time, my student." Nabooru grabbed the toolbox from Zukto, and casually headed towards the Fortress. She had an office within the Fortress, and was likely headed there. Nelona and Zukto exchanged glances but Zukto just shrugged. Reta was just as puzzled.

"Well that was cryptic, and obviously for you. So you really don't know anything?" Reta asked.

"Beats me. Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm really clueless." Zukto assured them.

"… Well, whatever. I'm guessing it's thanks to you that I get a day off tomorrow. I'll drink to your honor tonight!" Nelona said chuckling, stretching out her back and arms. Working on the Temple was always strenuous and unpredictable. No one could escape a day of work without stiff muscles.

"I appreciate the gesture. Well, I'm exhausted. I think I'll turn in for the day. Don't have too much fun, you hear? I ain't babysitting you when you're hung over." Zukto joked, yawned slightly, and started his trek home.

He did not live in the Fortress; he had a small home past the horseback archery range. He waved at the woman in charge of the range as he passed. She winked in response. Zukto chuckled to himself. All of the women flirted with him constantly, though he did not blame them. Besides the fact that Zukto came to live with the Gerudo five years ago, the women in the Tribe never got to see any men. And Zukto was not sure at first that it was even possible, but he had become even more handsome during his stay in the desert. Pairing his looks with his hard-working nature made him pretty desirable in the eyes of the fairer sex in the Desert.

"Ah, home sweet home," mused Zukto when he stepped through his front door. He wandered to his bathroom, removed the goggles from his face, and ran a hand through his messy brown hair to shake the sand out. The Gerudo lived, worked, and played in the sand, so often times they would not bother to wash up at night. Zukto thought they sometimes had the appearance of a dusty artifact. He, on the other hand, washed up every night. It was a habit drilled into his head back in his homeland.

"Charcai… Land of the Morph. Heh. I wonder if my Master knows about that… she seems to know everything else, at any rate." The young adult shook his head, an ironic smile lighting his features. He would have never fooled any Gerudo for a second that he was one of them. They were a cursed people; only one male was born to the tribe every 100 years. It just so happened that a male was born three decades ago, and Zukto was not much younger than him. Strangely, in all of his time at the Desert, Zukto never met the man. Apparently he was so busy that he never visited, even across a five-year time period.

It did surprise the Gerudo however, to discover that a complete outsider had settled into their life style so easily. In addition, he had no qualms about taking orders from women or treating them respectfully. Though he was not blood-related to the Tribe, the women had come to accept Zukto as an Honorary Gerudo because of his service to their leader. Zukto was grateful for their acceptance, and proud to count himself one of the Gerudo. He had never felt so connected to a group of people before, even back home.

After splashing some water on his face that he kept in a basin, and drying off, Zukto slumped onto his bed. He felt physically tired, but sleep was resisting him. He tossed and turned, before deciding to lie still and stare at the ceiling. The crest of the Spirit Temple was painted in orange on his ceiling. He smiled slightly. He remembered Master Nabooru painting it there when he first came to the Desert.

"Those were the days…" Zukto sighed, before finally nodding off.

Zukto looked around, and realized he didn't have a clue where he was.

"Hello?" He yelled out in the hallway. It echoed for a really long time. _This must be one long hallway. Maybe I should follow it and find out what's on the other side, _he thought. After a bit of running, Zukto found himself in an extremely ornate chamber.

"What? These are all paintings and statues of the Goddesses… but I've never seen these before…" He muttered, stopping at the largest of the statues. It had all three of the Goddesses; Din, the Goddess of Power was at the center, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, was sitting on her knees to Din's left, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage, was sitting on her knees to Din's right. They were arranged exactly like the real Triforce was arranged.

"Wow, the detail is simply amazing, I've never seen anything like it…" Zukto took another minute to study the statue. While the statue was interesting, there was still more to see. He moved on to a smaller chamber to the statue's left. It had several separate hallways branching from it, but all of them appeared to be sealed off. Zukto's attention was drawn to a pedestal in the middle of the branches. Attached to the top of the pedestal was a stone slab, with a scripture of some sort written on it. Zukto tried to read it, but was alarmed to find he could not read it.

"Wha- what language is that…? It looks like the Hylian alphabet, but it's too different for me to make sense of it…"

Zukto felt a little uneasy about the tablet, but decided he would move along and observe more of the building. As he looked up from the tablet, he gasped and stepped back slightly. Standing before him was none other than the Goddess Din. She was arguably the most beautiful of the Goddesses. Her long hair was a brilliant red color and it elegantly draped from her head. Usually Din was depicted as having her hair up, but she appeared before Zukto with no hair ties. She also wore nothing the folk tales or legends had described; a belt hugged her hips and a skirt with long slits down either side draped from below the belt. The skirt was the same color as her hair. Her chest was covered with a tightly laced red corset, accentuating her curves. Her feet and arms were bare, but her wrists bore many thick, golden bracelets. Zukto blushed slightly in spite of himself at the sight of her. Her beauty was unlike any human he had ever laid eyes on.

"Finally, you have come. I have been trying to get a hold of you for several days now… it is abnormally hard to penetrate your mind, Zukto." The Goddess mused as she sauntered up to Zukto. The many bracelets she wore jingled merrily.

"G- Goddess Din!" Zukto bowed deeply, after breaking out of his mental stupor. To call Din captivating would be an understatement.

"No, no, stand up straight." Din quickly closed the distance between her and Zukto. "Come on now, stand straight and still."

Din circled Zukto slowly, closely examining him. She stopped back in front of him and grabbed his face, staring into his eyes intensely. Her grip was unexpectedly firm. Zukto was understandably nervous, and he did not know what to do with his arms or eyes. He was trying to keep his gaze above Din's shoulders, to avoid offending her.

"Yes… you are perfect. You are the one I have been waiting for." Din nodded after a time, letting go of his head. She smiled triumphantly as she placed a hand on her hip and leaned her weight on her right leg.

"You… were waiting for me? Why?" Zukto asked.

"Well my dear… I need you for a really big job. I, and my sisters, keep watch over Hyrule. Things have been changing for two decades now, and it is finally time that I call on a Hero to help me sort things out. The changes We see are not good. Even in the middle of the day, I can feel a shadow looming over this land." Din's expression was pensive.

"I can't really say I've noticed much, but… why not ask… you know… that guy from the legends."

"The enemy has joined forces with The Great King of Evil. The descendent of the Hero of Time, whom I suspect is the one you are referring to, could deal with The Great King, as their struggles have been described in ancient texts. The Hero of Time will always triumph over Ganon, but… that hero alone is no longer enough. I have told him of my fears, and I do believe he is conducting his own investigations into the manner. I told him, however, to not actively engage the enemy for I fear for his safety."

"So you're saying that… this Great King… is not even the biggest threat right now?"

"Correct. Zukto, I believe it is you who I need. I have poured over ancient scriptures, and they speak of a Champion of Spirit. I know you call The Sage of Spirit your Master. It is most fortuitous for Us that you came to the land of Hyrule to seek training."

Zukto was a bit taken aback by the Goddess's words. _I'm… this land's… Champion? But… I finally have a way to prove to my Master that I am worthy of being her pupil. If I accept this task, my Master will become the most esteemed Sage of them all. I bet if I exceed, Nabooru will be regarded even more important than her rival, the Sage of Shadow._

"Most Honorable Goddess Din, what must I do? Just tell me."

"So you accept then? I am relieved beyond words, Zukto. You must travel throughout Hyrule. At times, you may even need to leave our great land, all in the name of finding ancient weapons made by the Gods themselves. These weapons are mentioned in my ancient texts as being the keys to your victory, My Champion."

"So, what about my enemy…? Do you know…?"

"I had the misfortune about twenty years ago of meeting with one of them on behalf of a servant of mine. Luckily his powers were no match for mine; he could not even tell I was in disguise when we met."

"_One_ of them? So there are more?"

"There appear to be thirteen in all. I have been trying to watch their movements to find their base of operations, but they move around too much and lately they have gotten smarter. They use The Great King of Evil as their "messenger," and I cannot approach him myself because as we all know my essence, The Triforce of Power, rests with him."

"What's my first task then?"

"You must find two others. I hope you were not entertaining thoughts of being a lone wolf. While it is true that The Hero of Time saved Hyrule essentially by himself, things are unlike previous confrontations. You cannot hope to defeat the thirteen members of the Darkness Orb by yourself."

_… Darkness Orb…? Why does that sound so familiar?_

"I understand My Goddess. Who shall I request for help?" When Zukto finished his question, Din closed her eyes and focused her powers. When she opened them, two pedestals rose from the floor. Each had a crystal ball mounted to it.

"Peer into them, one at a time." She commanded. Zukto did as instructed. The first crystal ball displayed a young man almost as tall as him, with the same color hair, and blue eyes. He seemed to be in possession of one of the largest swords Zukto had ever seen. Right as the vision came into focus, the man was in the middle of a fight with a monster. It was a Stalfos. The skeleton was alternating defensive and offensive strategies, often ducking behind its great shield when it anticipated a heavy blow from the man's weapon was forthcoming. His weapon was impressive, but due to the size his counters always came too slowly. Getting impatient, he purposely swung his sword again at the undead body. The Stalfos pulled up its shield like predicted. Then came something unexpected; the young man kicked one of the Stalfos's legs. The brittle bone cracked instantly, and the beast fell to its knees. With that, the triumphant man plowed his sword through the Stalfos's skull as fast as he could. That was the finishing blow.

"He is a bounty hunter; Kyoshiro. As you can see… well, he hasn't had "formal" training like you. But I feel his powers can be of help to you. The easiest way to find him would be to report to the Hyrule Castle Bounty Hunter headquarters. Now, if you will go to the other one…"

Zukto and Din stopped before the remaining crystal ball and glanced into it. It revealed a dark alley way.

"Um, I'm sorry, but there's… there's no one here." Zukto observed.

"Look harder." Zukto did as he was told; suddenly, a cloaked figure seemingly jumped out from the shadows of the alley. The figure stopped before a man who seemed to be on the run from something. With no warning, the vision died.

"Oh my… something just interfered… what was that…" Din muttered to herself.

Zukto had a feeling the cloaked figure was the one Din wanted him to talk to, but with the image in the crystal ball suddenly cutting out, he had nothing to go by in order to find the person. Just a mysterious, cloaked figure…

"Do you have any information regarding that last vision?"

"Well, that was definitely the alleyways of Hyrule Castle Town. Lucky you; both of your targets will be in the same place. Oh yes. When you find them, I insist that you bring them back here. Alright, My Champion?" Din smiled pleasantly, and with that her body dematerialized.

"Wait, don't leave-!" Zukto yelled, sitting upright.

"… Wait, what? That was all a dream…?" He was a little perplexed, trying to figure out how something so seemingly real could be just a dream. He also was not sure how to react to his dream. Was he tired from work he did, or did it have meaning? _I should… ask my Master about it._ He decided. He quickly left his small house and headed towards Nabooru's office within the Gerudo Fortress. It was early evening; the sun was descending out of view, making the air much cooler than it was during the day.

"Master? I have something important to ask you." Zukto started as he entered her office. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh, so you're up? What is it?"

"I- I had a dream. Just now. The Goddess Din spoke to me."

"Oh? What did she want?"

"Apparently, I have to find two people. They need to accompany me on a journey."

Nabooru's expression was grave. _So, it's begun. I didn't expect it to be this soon…_

"I understand. I won't question you anymore. Whatever that dream was about is none of my concern. You know what you must do, my student. But please, if you would, stay at least for this evening. You need to be fully rested for tomorrow. Don't worry about us; we've managed for thousands of years without the help of any men." Her expression changed from concern to encouragement.

"Master… thank you for everything. If I ever have any time, I'll come see everyone. I'll go say my goodbyes now." Zukto bowed respectfully, and silently left the base. He would not be here, the place he considered his home away from home, this time tomorrow.

The sun roused Zukto awake the next morning. He slowly sat up in bed and waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright light._ It's time_. Without sparing a second more for thought, Zukto jumped out of bed. He searched for his most important possessions. He found and shouldered his bow and quiver of arrows, grabbed his map of Hyrule, and pocketed his store of rupees. Without looking back, he headed straight out of his house and to the archery ring where the horses were stabled.

"Don't you look all ready to leave on an adventure." joked Reta as Zukto walked past her.

"I am." He jumped on his horse, pausing a moment before continuing. "Your mom knows, ask her. I would have told you, but you were asleep. Goodbye, Reta. Let's go!" He called to his horse as he squeezed it with his legs. The horse reacted to the pressure, whinnied, and lunged forward into a gallop. The quick movement kicked up a cloud of dust. Reta covered her face and coughed. When it settled, she watched Zukto speed off East, towards Hyrule.

"… Zukto…" Reta sighed.

"What is it, Reta?" Nabooru asked as she approached her.

"Zukto… he left without saying anything…" she frowned. Nabooru looked off towards mainland Hyrule._ I wish you the best of luck… and please remember what I taught you; Shadows don't always signify evil_.


	3. 2 A Bounty Hunter and a Cloaked Mystery

_**A/N:**__ Well hello my dear Reader. I've never really introduced myself. I am YamiNeco, author of this Fanfiction. To be honest, I'm very happy with how things are turning out thus far. This "chapter" has more words in it than the other two previous chapters __**COMBINED**__! Impressive huh? I hope big word counts don't scare you, because I anticipate this being a trend for later chapters. Please, when you're done, send me a __**review**__! Tell me what you like, of course, but is there anything you didn't like? Please share your thoughts with me! I want you to be as entertained and intrigued as I._

_**A/N:**__ I do not own the Legend of Zelda universe, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, Nabooru, the landmarks of Hyrule, The Hero of Time (AKA Link), The Great King of Evil (AKA Ganondorf), or anything else Nintendo has attached to the __franchise__. Remember, my OC may be named Zelda but she is __**not**__ the Zelda that Nintendo owns. The name is the only similarity._

_**A/N:**__ I'm trying to incorporate Hylian Lore into my story, as legends, folk tales, myths, etc have always been significant to the canon Zelda games._

_**A/N:**__ There are some swear words in this chapter!_

Zukto encouraged his mount to move faster after it trotted off of the bridge that connected Gerudo Valley to Hyrule Field. The horse snorted, but did as Zukto wanted. Zukto sighed and closed his eyes as the pair zoomed across the ground. The wind and their speed whipped the horse's mane about. Zukto opened his eyes again, to make sure he could keep the horse from colliding with anything. Soon enough, Death Mountain grew on the horizon. A plume of smoke rose from the crater, as always, but the smoke looked natural. Of course, Zukto's interest lied in another landmark- Hyrule Castle Town. The Castle Town was just a little west of Death Mountain. Within a few hours, Zukto slowed his horse down to a walk as they were nearing the drawbridge that granted one access to Castle Town. There were some guards stationed at the drawbridge; they saluted Zukto and simultaneously welcomed him. He nodded, and guided his horse past them. Once on the Castle Town side of the bridge, Zukto dismounted. There were posts scattered across town to tie up horses. Zukto picked one out of the way, tied up his horse, and looked around. He had never been to Castle Town before.

_So this is what a city looks like…_ He thought to himself as he headed in the direction of the Town Square. All of the stores were there, and therefore people would be milling about gossiping. Plenty of people would have to know where the Bounty Hunter Headquarters was located. Not just adults, but children also gathered in the Square. Some were playing games with one another; others were holding private conversations or shopping. Some people glanced at Zukto with bewildered looks on their faces; Zukto was quite a bit tanner than these people and they thought it strange. Most of them had probably never even seen a Gerudo before, and though Zukto was not one himself, the constant exposure to sunlight in the hot, dry desert tipped people off as to his "origins." Finally, Zukto saw someone who looked like they could help him; it was a book salesman.

"Excuse me sir, I have never set foot inside the Castle Town walls before… where may I find the Bounty Hunter Headquarters?"

"Ah, the BH huh? Well, you'll need to head to the Palace if you want to stop by the Headquarters. Do you know where that is?"

"I think I can find it. Thank you for your help. Oh, take this." Zukto pulled out a red-colored rupee, worth 10 rupees, and gave it to the man for his trouble. The man beamed appreciatively. With that, Zukto made for the Royal Palace at a jog. Even though it seemed to be quite a ways off, he could still see a castle towering over all else. What else could it be, besides the Palace? He was anxious to either beat Kyoshiro to it, or catch him before he left again.

"Stop! Thief!" A shop owner yelled out to the Town Square a short while after Zukto left the area. Many of the women screamed and tried to hide, dragging children with them. A smug man was running from a shop, carrying a large sword. No guards were in the area, unfortunately for the shop owner, but someone else heard the cry and decided to help. The person, shrouded in a dark cloak from head to foot, hid in the shadows of one of the alleyways. The mysterious person stood absolutely still, and seemingly melted into the darkness. The man suddenly ran into the person's field of view, like predicted. With that the cloaked person leapt from out of the shadows, startling the thief.

"Ah, think you're some hero huh? You ain't so tough. And you're pretty stupid, approaching me when I have **THIS**!" The thief ripped the sword from its sheathe, tossed the case aside, and pointed it at the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure did not move an inch.

"Fine, if you aren't going to do anything, then I **WILL**!" The man lunged forward with the sword.

"Amateur." Was all that escaped from the cloaked person's mouth. As soon as the thief was within inches of his target and was about to connect the sword to his target with a vertical slice, the sword hit some invisible force and went flying out of his hands. The thief looked bewildered, but recovered quickly. He recovered quicker than the cloaked person was anticipating, and surprised his adversary by tackling him to the ground. He whipped out a knife from under his clothes to finish the job, but stopped in shock.

The person's hood had come off when the two of them landed on the ground; the thief couldn't believe that a woman had stood up to him when he was carrying around that sword. Even more frightening was that the woman had a strange scar circling her left eye; the scar was shaped like a crescent moon. It was flashing red. He thought he had seen enough strange things, but the woman opened her eyes and the man immediately flinched. Her eyes shone as red as her scar was. She looked angry.

"What the HELL are you, some kind of demon in disguise?" He cried as he quickly got off of the woman, not wanting anything more to do with her.

"Heh. What, are you _afraid_?" The woman taunted.

"DIE, you bitch!" He yelled, rushing at her with the knife. She smiled darkly, and suddenly disappeared from view.

"What the hell?" He stopped right where she had been standing moments before, and quickly looked around for his target.

"I would actually consider you a threat if you were not so… stupidly rash…" Her voice called from the shadows, echoing ominously through the alleyway. The man shivered slightly.

_That __**thing**__ must be a demon. There's no other way…_

"What, you think you can just sit there and day dream? You are dumber than I thought!" She scoffed as a purple light came out of nowhere and crashed into the thief. He was sent flying backwards, and collapsed to the ground.

"I have been trained by a powerful sorceress. From the looks of it, you have no training whatsoever. Do not worry, I will not kill you. But, I will…" She paused as she approached the man, picking up the sword he stole in the process. She waved it at him slowly, taunting him with it as she drew ever closer.

"Oh yes, I also can use this thing properly. I would sit tight if I were you." She threatened. The man was not in a hurry to die, but the woman who towered above him frightened and angered him.

"Y-you're a demon! They'll catch you!" He yelled hysterically just as some Castle Guards entered the alleyway.

"We found him! Arrest him!" One of the guards declared. Four men, fully clothed in chainmail armor, and armed with spears and shields, rushed to the man on the ground and detained him. The guard that did not rush to the criminal approached the woman instead.

"Princess, how can we repay you for helping us to bring this man to justice?" The man asked, bowing.

"Please straighten up. No one knows about me. Do not call me Princess. Besides…"

"Princess, if I may, you know The King…"

"Enough about him." The woman snapped.

"Er, well, I'm sorry Your Highness, but… he wants to see you. He knows you came to town."

"… Fine. Please get this man out of my sight, and here is the stuff he stole." The Princess shoved the sword into the hands of the guard, pulled her hood back over her face, and ran off. The man who was detained stared after the Princess with an indescribable look of horror on his face.

"… You called her _Princess_? But we… we already… and she looks nothing… what the **hell** is this kingdom coming to?"

"Sir, kindly **shut up**. You are not worthy enough to be versed in the affairs of The King of Hyrule, His Majesty Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule." The guard who approached the Princess earlier declared. The thief rolled his eyes.

"Bloody corrupt, every single god damn…" Before he could finish, one of the guards struck him in the back of the head with a well-aimed punch.

"Sorry Sir, it won't happen again." The guard who swung at the criminal apologized.

"Excused. Drag him to the Palace will you?" The guard commanded. He left his companions to escort the man, while he went to return the stolen property.

Finally, Zukto stopped in front of the BH headquarters he had been searching for. He grabbed the handle of the door and pulled, experiencing mixed feelings. When he entered the main hall, there was a counter with a man stationed at it. He had his legs propped up on the desk, and he appeared to be smoking. Zukto hated the smell, but he tried to be as polite as possible.

"Excuse me, but does a man work here? The name is… Kyo… Kyo…" Zukto started, forgetting the man's name.

"Aah, Kyoshiro? Lemme get 'im." The man said, getting up and disappearing down a hallway. Shortly after, the man returned, with Kyoshiro in tow.

"You wanted to see me? I hope whatever it is you want you'll pay me well for it. I'm pretty well-known around here and valued for my talents and skill, you see." Kyoshiro bragged.

_Someone sure is smug… great._

"… I have a very, very important business proposition to discuss with you, Sir Kyoshiro. The rewards do not end at money. Do… eternal glory and respect appeal to you?" Zukto asked. Kyoshiro genuinely looked interested.

_Hook, line, and sinker…_

"Yes, it is a very important matter… in fact, it's top secret. Why don't we… step outside? Don't worry; I'm not here to kill you. You're… valuable to me." Zukto explained, choosing his words carefully. He was nervous that this person would turn him down. If Kyoshiro did not agree to help, he was not sure what his next move would be as he could not return to Goddess Din with one "chosen one" missing. Kyoshiro agreed to follow Zukto out of the Palace. As the two were leaving, a strange, cloaked figure passed them. Zukto stopped dead in his tracks.

_No way… is that… the other one…?_

Since Zukto did not know the person's name, he could not get the hooded figure's attention. He could have rudely yelled something like, "Hey, you!" He let the figure pass him instead, though he stared after them for a while.

"What's your deal? I've seen that cloaked person a lot around town today." Kyoshiro said.

"… _Really_? What does that person do? Do you know who it is? That person is allowed to just wander around the Castle?"

"Whoah, dude, calm down. Are you some kind of stalker? Honestly, I have _no_ clue who that is. He has been in and out of the Castle today a bit, and talked with guards most of the time…"

"I'm sorry, I really need to talk to you, but I also need to figure out who that is." Zukto explained apologetically as he ran up to a guard that the cloaked person passed.

"Excuse me sir, can you please tell me who that is?" Zukto whispered as he pointed at the person turning a corner. The guard watched the person in the cloak disappear before turning to face Zukto.

"That person is a special guest of the Hyrule Royal Family. Do not disturb him." The man lied.

"Okay, thanks for your time…" Zukto muttered as he ran back to Kyoshiro, who decided not to follow him.

"What the heck was that about?" Kyoshiro asked.

"… I think… I've seen that person before. I really need to talk to him… but I suppose it can wait. Come, you and I have things to discuss." The two adventurers left the Palace to find a quiet place to talk.

The cloaked figure stopped before a group of guards.

"The King has requested my presence."

"Who are you?" A guard asked. The Princess lowered her hood.

"I am your Princess. Please let me see my Father." The guards all bowed, and two of them opened a large door for her. She hurried past them, putting her hood back on.

"… She has always scared me, ever since she got her training." One of the guards whispered. The others didn't acknowledge the comment, but each of them silently agreed.

The Princess did not stop until she stood before the Throne where her Father and Mother sat. They rose when she stood still.

"… My daughter. My Zelda." The King stated. The Princess lowered her hood with a sigh. The King and Queen visibly flinched when they saw their daughter's face, though she did not notice them.

_What in Nayru's name…? She didn't look like that last time…_

"… So you just assume you know who I am? What if I was an assassin?"

"The guards would not have let you past."

"What if I came here in disguise? Or better yet, what if I just killed all of your guards?" The Princess retorted.

"My daughter, I am not going to assume that everyone who visits me is here to kill me."

"Right, just like you should not assume that the daughter you abandoned would instantly forgive you and run into your arms like nothing ever happened." She snapped. The King flinched again.

"Princess… Zelda. Please. It is an issue of…" Daphnes began, pleadingly.

"Just stop. I have heard the excuse before. You are saving Hyrule or some such nonsense. Well look; you are wasting my time. I have work to do. If you have nothing productive or important to say, then let me go." She demanded.

"What; are you off to gather information on The Great King of Evil?" The King asked. Zelda did not verbally respond, but she visibly frowned.

"I know what happened. You went to find him even though I warned you not to… and then he did that… he injured your face."

"Whatever. I am still alive. I just dropped my guard too soon. Next time we cross paths, I shall…"

"Enough!" Daphnes yelled. Zelda flinched this time.

"Princess Zelda. You are my heir. I cannot have you endangering yourself! Think about your family! And the Kingdom!"

"What family? The family that _gave me away_? Yes, you are an amazing family. Truly. Excuse me, but you had nothing to do with raising me. Maybe if you wanted to control my life you should have kept me. And besides, I am of age. I can do whatever I damn well please. If you will excuse me… _Father_." With that, Zelda turned on her heel and stormed out, covering her face again with her hood. As she left, the Queen collapsed in her seat and clutched her chest where her heart was. She looked faint.

"My… my Gods… you know what that is, don't you…? She is… cursed." The Queen's face was pale.

"… Yes. And the magic seems to be…" The King muttered.

"… I… do not believe… I have a feeling that she cannot remember. What she looked like before the curse, I mean."

"It is probably part of the curse. They… they want to manipulate her. And if we cannot get through to her, it will work." The King sighed, looking away.

"Oh, dear; why can't we just tell her? Everything?"

"Right now, she is too vulnerable and upset. It might make matters worse. I can only tell her when her mind is clear. We have protected her this long… we just need to continue."

"I just pray…" The Queen began. Before she could finish, someone hurried into the Throne Room.

"Mother, mother! I heard, was my sister here?" A young girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and long, pointed ears ran up to her parents, breathing quickly from her run.

"Well, she was here dear, but… she got impatient with us and left." The Queen said sadly.

"Oh… and she didn't say hi…" The little girl muttered, looking teary-eyed at the ground. The Queen held the girl close, and slowly stroked her head. Suddenly, she felt relieved that her eldest daughter had run out of the castle. She was worried what her youngest daughter, Azera, would think of Zelda's new face. She doubted that they could hide Azera from Zelda forever, since the young girl was quite persistent when she wanted something, but the longer she could keep them separated the better.

"… And, that's that. I know that I don't have a lot of information, but… I think we'll get more as time goes on. Our enemy is tricky, apparently…" Zukto finished explaining. Kyoshiro had a raised eyebrow most of the time, but the end prompted a different response from him.

"So you're saying that we're needed more than The Hero of Time? … Alright. I'll do it. I'll join you." Kyoshiro agreed.

"Excellent. I'm glad you're lending me your help." Zukto stood up and stretched a bit. They had been sitting in the grass, outside of the Palace.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Zukto. I come from the Gerudo Valley." Zukto outstretched his hand. Kyoshiro shot him a weird look, because he understood the curse of the Gerudo and had a feeling that Zukto was not an actual Gerudo. Nonetheless, he shook his hand.

"I'm Kyoshiro, but I guess you already knew that. So do they talk about me in Gerudo Valley?"

"No, actually, we don't talk about anything from the mainland." Zukto answered, somewhat amused.

"What the heck? Then what do you talk about?"

"Training, building, legends, ancient texts… stuff like that."

"Wow… that sounds boring."

"… Wait a second. Shh." Zukto suddenly commanded. Kyoshiro looked around to try and see what the big deal was. Zukto quietly pointed Kyoshiro in the right direction; a cloaked figure was leaving the Palace. It was past nightfall, so Zukto was hoping that the person could not see him. He barely could see the cloaked individual as it was; the dark cloak blended in with the lack of light, except when a torch lit up the pathway.

"You're really interested in that person, aren't you?" Kyoshiro whispered.

"Let's hide until they pass; I want to follow them." Zukto and Kyoshiro hid behind some trees, and watched the figure make its way back to Castle Town. When they were well out of earshot, the two continued to follow their target.

"So you _**are**_ a stalker…" Kyoshiro muttered, half-jokingly.

When they got back to Town Square, the cloaked person was nowhere to be found.

"Oh dang it, we lost him…" Zukto sighed, slightly frustrated. He did not have long to brood though; a couple of guards approached him and Kyoshiro.

"Excuse me sirs, have you seen a Hylian wandering around here? We are looking for someone with red eyes and black hair."

"No, I'm sorry, we haven't. We are looking for someone ourselves actually; can you help?"

"Sure son, what do you need?"

"I'm looking for a tall person, completely shrouded in a cloak." Zukto explained. The guards looked at each other. One shook his head.

"Sorry, I have no idea… my shift only started five minutes ago. Good luck gentlemen!" The guards nodded and continued on their way. Zukto turned to Kyoshiro as they left.

"… Can Hylians have red eyes?" He asked.

"Hah, no way! I've heard that an ancient race of people, the Sheikah, have red eyes, but not Hylians. If those guards are looking for a "Hylian…" Well at the very least, the person cannot be a pure-blooded Hylian. But I heard that the Sheikah are few in number these days… "Kyoshiro explained. Zukto looked at Kyoshiro in surprise.

"… This whole thing is getting more suspicious… "

"Heh, you're telling me. But that's what makes the job so interesting. Well, now what?"

"I have no idea… I just wish I could find the cloaked person…"

"… When were you going to stop following me around? Who are you? You are lucky I do not call the guards after you." A woman's voice asked suddenly. Zukto and Kyoshiro both jumped in surprise.

"Who's there?" Zukto demanded.

"Heh, relax. You were the ones following me, so be glad I am deciding to show myself." As if she was literally born of shadow, she emerged from the darkness of an alley just like the person Zukto watched in the crystal ball. It was the cloaked person after all!

"Y-you! I've been trying to hunt you down all day!" Zukto said excitedly.

_I will say though, I did not expect my target to be a woman…_

"I know. You do not hide yourselves too well. Now you better explain why you have been following me before I send the guards after you."

"Excuse me. My name is Zukto; I come from Gerudo Valley. This is Kyoshiro; he's a Bounty Hunter from the Palace. I was told to come find Kyoshiro, and you." When Zukto explained that he was from Gerudo Valley, the woman shot him a weird look but he could not see it because her face was obscured by her hood.

"Well, hello Zukto, and Kyoshiro. You were told to come find me? By whom?"

"Tell me your name." Zukto requested. The Princess did not respond right away; she was trying to decide what to tell them, because she absolutely was not going to tell them the truth.

"… I am Azera. Now, who was it?" The Princess pressed.

"… A Goddess told me in a dream. I must bring you to where I had my dream. The Goddess says this Kingdom is in danger, and The Hero of Time is not enough to stop the impending threat. If you come with me, you'll get to meet with the Goddess yourself."

"Wow, meeting with a real Goddess? This keeps getting better and better all the time! Say… why are you hiding behind that huge cloak? Why don't you at least show your face?" Kyoshiro asked, quite curious.

"Ask me again and I shall see to it that your head no longer sits on your shoulders." Zelda threatened darkly.

"Hey, excuse me, we should not be threatening and fighting each other. Kyoshiro, we really need her help according to the Goddess, so let's just let her hide if she wants to."

"Hmph, fine." Kyoshiro muttered. _What good is having a woman on the team if I can't check her out?_

"Does it not bother you, having the Goddess tell you that you need to join forces with a woman? I thought men felt that women have no place on the battlefield."

"They don't." Kyoshiro snapped.

"The Gerudo have no men in their tribe. Every single woman who is of age knows how to fight so she can defend her home. I think it's important that women at least know how to defend themselves. I haven't really seen your powers, so I am unsure, but if the Goddess told me I need you then I believe her."

"Hm, you are better than most men. Okay, I shall follow your lead. Where to?"

"… I… don't actually know. I had a dream, I was in… some sort of temple… but I never knew where the Temple was located. And the Goddess wants me to go back there with you two."

"… Follow me." Zelda quickly headed in the direction of The Temple of Light.

"Where is she going…? Azera! Talk to us!" Zukto called out to her, running to catch up. Kyoshiro followed behind, significantly less interested. He had been to The Temple of Light before, and it was quite empty.

"We are about to enter a sacred place. Keep your voices down." Zelda explained as they stood before the Temple door. She pulled one of the wooden doors open and glanced inside. The inside looked as it always did, though the exterior was quite deceiving. On the outside, the Temple looked neglected. On the inside, the floors and walls shone white, as if the place had been newly erected. Straight across from the entrance, on the backside of the Temple, another door with no handles stood. Above the door, a symbol shone brightly. It was the Triforce.

"This, Zukto, is The Temple of Light. Here, before the door, is the inscription that reveals how to open the huge, stone wall. That, behind the inscription, is The Door of Time… and beyond the door…" Zelda paused.

"Is the Master Sword; the sword of Evil's Bane. The Legendary Sword that helped The Hero of Time defeat The Great King of Evil." Kyoshiro finished.

"Correct. So you have studied Hylian lore?" Zelda asked, slightly impressed.

"Yeah, well, a bit…" Kyoshiro shrugged.

"So, Zukto, what do you know about this place?" The Princess turned to him.

"Um, besides what you just said… not much."

"Listen carefully. This sacred Temple houses The Triforce. You know what that is, right?"

"Oh sure, I know. The Great King of Evil covets it, doesn't he?"

"Yes. Luckily, each time he has tried to acquire it, the Hero of Time was able to stop him. None of us really understand what the "threat" this time is, but if the Hero of Time is not the one the Goddesses want… then I question what role the Triforce plays in all of this."

"So… why are we talking about the Triforce then?"

"The Triforce means everything to our Kingdom. It was a gift, per se, from the three Goddesses. It can grant wishes according to the legends."

"I wish I knew where to find Goddess Din…" Zukto muttered under his breath.

"Luckily for you, that desire can be fulfilled without wasting the Triforce's power. Come, stand before the inscription. Now, focus very carefully on what you want to see." Zelda instructed. Zukto did as he was told; he closed his eyes and tried to conjure up a clear image in his mind of where he wanted to be. Suddenly, a low rumble was heard nearby.

"Look, you have opened a new pathway for us. Come." Zelda moved to a corner of the Temple, and pushed on a part of the wall. She went right through it. Kyoshiro and Zukto glanced at each other worriedly, but ran after her.

Zukto was overcome with a sense of déjà vu. He was here before.


	4. 3 The Adventurers Reach a New Land

**A****/N:** This one is (a little) shorter than Chapter Two, sorry, but I HAD to "stop" here! You'll see why when you reach the end!

**A/N:** Please, Read and Review! Let me know what was awesome, and what was not-so-awesome!

When Zukto pushed his way through the wall in the Temple of Time after Azera, he found himself standing in a long hallway; the same hallway he ran through before he met with the Goddess.

_This is definitely the place, but… strange… why did that woman know where to bring me…?_

Zukto felt uneasy, but he needed to catch up to Azera. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he saw three women, Goddess Din among them, standing next to one another. They appeared to be in a conversation with someone; he figured it was Azera but could not see who. He held back, to listen to their conversation.

"… I'm sorry, but I can't do anything to fix that…" The shortest woman said apologetically. Her hair was green, which struck Zukto as really odd.

"It looks horrid. Who did you say did that to you?" Goddess Din asked.

"… Ganondorf..." Azera replied, but her response was too quiet for Zukto to hear. He remembered reading somewhere that Hylians had long, pointed ears, and that their hearing was impressive. Zukto found himself wishing he were Hylian.

"WHAT?!" The three women yelled in surprise.

"You are so lucky you are still alive… what if…" A woman with blue hair muttered. This was just as weird as green hair.

_She's been in situations where she could have died…? What the hell has she been doing?_

"Would it bother you if I said… he will not? This was no accident. He planned it to turn out like this." Azera explained.

"… Well, we cannot do anything since we are in the dark relatively speaking… I will look into the matter and let you know what I find." The blue-haired woman offered.

"Thank you. If it is you, I have no doubt we will figure it out."

"I guess we should stop the chit-chat for now because we have an eavesdropper." Goddess Din announced.

Zukto stepped out into view, slightly embarrassed.

"S-sorry…"

"You did not hear anything important, anyway. No matter." Azera scoffed. Zukto looked over at her; she was still hiding underneath her cloak. He briefly wondered how she could stand to be so covered up without getting overheated.

"Zukto, this is Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore. I trust you have at least heard about them?"

"Y-yes. You three are responsible for Hyrule's creation." Zukto bowed.

"Hm… decent manners on this one." Nayru mused, folding her arms under her breasts. She was less voluptuous than Din, but just as beautiful. Her frame was very small and elegant, and covered with an equally elegant dark blue dress. The sleeves were full length. It had a V-neck; since her breasts were smaller than Din's, they did not pop out of the dress. Her magnificent blue hair was just as long as Din's, though it appeared to be a bit wavy.

"They make a good pair!" Farore proudly declared. Everyone turned to look at the smallest, child-like Goddess with mixed expressions. Zelda was embarrassed, but since she was hiding her face she figured no harm done. Zukto was so taken aback he stood there with his mouth open slightly.

_Well, for one, maybe that weirdo should consider taking off her stupid cloak…! Seriously, how am I supposed to go through with this mission when I could be toting around a spy?_

"Excuse me, Goddess Farore, this is a serious matter." Goddess Nayru spoke up.

"Sorry…"

"Anyway, where is the third one? Did you not bring him…?" Goddess Din asked.

"Well, of course I did, but…" Zukto started, looking around. Suddenly there was a crash. Everyone jumped in fright.

"Who's there?!" Zelda yelled angrily.

"Man, calm down… it's just me…" Kyoshiro muttered as he squeezed back into the main room.

"… What was that noise?" She pressed him, sounding a bit angry.

"Oh, I may have… knocked something over…"

"Excuse me, you are a guest here and I would appreciate it if you did not act like an enraged cucoo. We Goddesses do not exist to clean up after you. **THIS** one needs to work on his manners..." Nayru scolded. Kyoshiro looked away, embarrassed, but personally he did not care what Nayru thought of him. Din was more his type.

"Anyway, we're all here Goddess Din. Now what?" Zukto asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Ah, yes. Your mission… If you would, follow me." Goddess Din made her way to the chamber with the many attached hallways. She stopped in the center and waited for the others. Zelda, Kyoshiro, and Zukto got there together, and Nayru and Farore brought up the rear.

"All of these hallways are your gateway to a weapon. I already told Zukto when I first saw him, but you two must hear this as well. Dark times have been foreseen, and I have reason to believe that you three are exactly who we need to prevent the dark times from being a permanent reality. You were not simply selected because of your power, or your intellect. I watched each one of you carefully over the years to see if your character was true. You were hand-selected because you passed every single one of my tests. Now, for your job in more detail. So far, what my sisters and I have been able to determine, is that your enemy calls themselves the Darkness Orb. I have found through conversations I overheard, that there are thirteen of them. Unfortunately, I have seen only one of them. I will tell you his name now; Kkladek…" Din paused, to consider her words.

Zukto's eyes momentarily widened, but he quickly returned his countenance to a more stoic one. Din quickly shot him a weird look, as she saw his face, but did not make a noticeably big deal out of it. She continued.

"I need you to defeat these thirteen, as their intentions are not good. They enjoy suffering; they feed off of anger and sorrow… they are evil little parasites. Luckily for me, I think you three can send them packing with a little help. You must travel and seek out the ancient weapons and armor left behind by the Gods. I know where one is; you must travel to Firean to look for the Fire Scythe. They say that the Gods purged impure souls from their domain with this Scythe. To get to Firean, take this path…" Din motioned for her sisters to join her. When the three were standing together, they closed their eyes and brought their hands together as if in prayer. Shortly after, one blocked-off hallway became accessible.

"Be careful, My Champion. Every time you are successful in retrieving an item, please return here to hear any additional information we may have acquired." Din advised. Zukto nodded, and led the way down the hallway. The three heroes vanished with a flourish of mystical light.

Zukto looked around as the landscape came into clear view. He could see why the land was called Firean; the land was barren. He suspected the vegetation had been burned away. Some patches of dirt appeared to be on fire, though the fires were insignificantly small and there was not plant life enough to allow it to spread.

"Nice place…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"I suppose we should try to find some person of authority. Without guidance, it would take forever to find the resting place of an ancient weapon."

"Without guidance it would take forever to even find a town…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"If you were being observant, which I thought you were, you would have noticed the sign over there. It is bound to put us in the direction of some sort of town." Zelda said impatiently, pointing out the sign. She hurried over to it to read it.

"Wait a second. We're not in Hyrule, which means I'd be surprised if anyone here spoke Hylian. How in Din's name does she expect to be able to read that sign?" Kyoshiro wondered out loud.

_You know, he's right…_

"Well, let's go see what the verdict is." Zukto offered, running to catch up to Azera. As he was running, the thought again came into his mind of how Azera could stand to walk around in her garb. The heat was even more so a problem here in Firean than back in Hyrule.

_What if she's not Hylian? Or human? But what the heck is she then…? I need to stop worrying about it. It's not helping us to complete our job any faster._

"Took you long enough. The sign says if we head east, we will reach Fire Valley. It also says there are a couple of small towns in that direction. Maybe they will have some information." Zelda explained to Zukto. Keeping in mind what Kyoshiro said, Zukto glanced at the sign. Kyoshiro was right; the sign was not written in Hylian. Zukto was torn about what to do; he could question his teammate on why she knew how to read in more than just Hylian and make her impatient or angry, or he could appease her but drive himself crazy with more questions. He decided to internalize the question for now; maybe he could discover the answer later.

"Kyoshiro, hurry up, or we'll leave you behind!" Zukto called.

"Heh, like I'd let you! You aren't getting all the glory for yourself!" Kyoshiro answered.

After several hours of walking, the trio reached Fire Valley. At least, that is what Zelda told them. There was a large sign that read "Fire Valley," but Zelda was the only one who could read it. Kyoshiro was also put off at her ability to read the foreign text.

_What is she, some kinda bookworm? Hm, now that I think about it, none of us know what the other is capable of. We've only walked and talked. There hasn't been any action! That's what's been missing! I hope we can kill some stuff soon._

"Which village do we want to go to? We can go to Volcano Base, Seashore, or Mountain Trail."

"I vote for Seashore." Kyoshiro piped up.

"No, we can't go there. Seashore communities spend all of their time fishing, trading, and shipping. I doubt we will find anyone who'll have any idea where an ancient weapon lies. I think we need to go to Volcano Base." Zukto explained.

"Excellent, I was thinking the same thing." Zelda agreed. Kyoshiro scoffed.

"Luckily, Volcano Base is the closest village. This way." Zelda again took the lead. Kyoshiro followed, sulking. He was getting tired of relying on a woman for navigation. When he did bounty hunting work by himself, he never needed anyone else. Granted, he only did work in Hyrule and therefore language barriers were nearly non-existent, but it was still getting on his nerves that a woman was playing such a prominent role in their adventure.

When they reached town, Zelda approached the first person she saw. It was an elderly man. Zukto and Kyoshiro followed, slowly. They were not sure what to expect from a people who did not seem to know Hylian. When they caught up to her, Zelda was talking to the man in a language neither of them understood! After a few moments, she returned to them.

"Alright, the old man told me that we need to head to the biggest hut in this village. The Village Leader will be there, and I think he has the information we need."

"… You can read **AND** speak their language?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Sure I can. There are books in libraries about this language. The locals call it 'Fire Tongue.'"

Kyoshiro and Zukto turned to look at each other, eyebrows raised. Kyoshiro had never even set foot in a library before, and though Zukto had, the library was small and only had books on legends and myths of the seven races of Hyrule. Nabooru's resources obviously could not rival the Royal Family's.

"… Where have you been to have access to a library with language books?" Zukto asked. Zelda froze momentarily, as she realized she may have given them too much information.

"You know, the Royal Library at the Palace…" She muttered. Zukto looked suspiciously at her, before he suddenly remembered that when he saw her at the Palace, the guard told him she was a special guest of the Royal Family. She could not have only been a special guest that one time he saw her, though. Perhaps she was permanently a special guest. He wanted more answers, but that was enough for him for the time being.

"Anyway, come on. It is not getting any lighter. I really think we should at least find the Temple before nightfall." Zelda quickly said, changing the subject. She led the way to the Village Leader's hut.

When they reached the hut, Zelda instructed Zukto and Kyoshiro not to say anything while inside, not to touch anything, or look at any one. She explained that the less conflict they got into the better. With that, she led the way inside. When she approached the Village Leader, she got down on her knees and lowered her body to the ground. At least that is what it looked like; it was hard to tell because of what she was wearing. The village leader said something, and Zelda sat upright. They began to have a discussion. Eventually, the Leader said something and motioned at Zelda. It was a stretch, because Zukto had no idea what they were saying, but he had a feeling that the Leader was concerned about Azera hiding her face. He would be. Zelda responded, and for some reason Zukto swore he heard some form of the word "cursed" come from her. A while longer, and Zelda came back to Zukto and Kyoshiro. She motioned for them to follow her out of the hut.

"So, what'd he say?" Zukto eagerly asked.

"He has heard of the Scythe, and says we need to climb the mountain to find the Temple where it is being guarded."

"… So what's the curse?" Zukto added casually. Zelda froze in her tracks.

_No way… he understood that part of the conversation?_

"The Temple. The Temple is cursed. So it will be very dangerous." Zelda lied.

… _She's lying. She is the one who said cursed. She wouldn't have known the dungeon was cursed unless someone told her… and no one did… whatever that cursed business is… it's something… more personal._

"You're right; I should have figured that from the start. We're never going to be able to simply walk in and grab what we need."

"Anyway, what do you want to do? Perhaps we should stay the night here and then head to the Temple in the morning. There is a small inn here. They will no doubt appreciate the business and then we can be properly rested for the hard work ahead of us."

"That sounds like a good idea. Lead the way." Zukto said. He certainly did not have a better idea.

_Maybe we can use this as an opportunity to get to know one another?_

When they got to the Inn, Zelda approached the man behind a wooden counter. Everything in the village was made of wood or rock; they seemed to live off the land. Zelda explained to the man that she was interested in two rooms; one for her, and one for her partners. She also asked about their currency. The man looked confused. He explained that the Village had no use for "money" since none of them ever left. They exchanged goods with one another. Zelda told him she would be back to pay for the rooms.

"Alright, let us go hunting. The owner here says they do not take "money" because no one has any. They just barter for goods and services with other goods and or services. I figure, between the three of us, we can bring back a decent-sized animal for them." Zelda explained.

"Sure, we can manage that. I've got long-range with my bow and arrows, Kyoshiro has close-quarters with his sword, and…" Zukto paused, because he had no idea what Zelda offered in terms of combat abilities.

"Come. I asked where the nearest river was. We will start there." Zelda hurried up the mountain pass out of the village, not even checking to see if Zukto and Kyoshiro would follow her. Zukto started to, but he stopped when he noticed Kyoshiro had not moved.

"What's the hold up?"

"… All we have to do is hunt for stuff, right? You follow her if you really want to, but I don't need a woman's help to get food." With that, Kyoshiro stormed off.

… _Good luck when you don't know the layout of the land, what types of animals are native here, or what their behaviors are…_ Zukto thought, sighing. So far, Zelda was invaluable in terms of her knowledge. Zukto had a feeling he would be safest to follow her. Even if it was not normal for a woman to lead a hunt, at least by Hylian standards, Zukto would stick with whoever would keep him alive the longest.

"… So you finally decided to show up?" Zelda called over her shoulder when she saw Zukto slowly closing the gap between them. She stopped, not wanting to be rude.

"It was Kyoshiro, sorry. He's…" Zukto paused when he caught up to her.

"Awfully prideful? I noticed. Pay him no mind. Maybe he will learn a lesson after this is done."

"You're… oddly tolerant. You know he's being disrespectful towards you just because you're a woman."

"When you are a woman you get used to it." Was all Zelda said, as she continued climbing up the mountain.

_She's awfully abrupt. I can't get any kind of a read on her…_

"Hey, excuse me, Azera… do you mind… telling me about yourself?" Zukto suddenly requested. A faint hint of a smile made its way onto Zelda's face, but Zukto could not see it.

"Why should I? I do not recall you telling me anything about yourself." She answered, matter-of-factly.

"You're right. I haven't. Well, what do you want to know?"

"Why did you lie about being from Gerudo Valley?"

"Oh, I did not lie about that." As soon as he replied, Zelda turned sharply to face him. Peering into the darkness of her hood made Zukto feel uneasy.

"Hear me out. I never said I was _born_ in Gerudo Valley. I'm sure you know about this better than I; the curse of the Gerudo Tribe. I was born elsewhere, but for the last several years I have been training in Gerudo Valley."

"That is an interesting place to train. Is there any reason you picked that place specifically?"

"The Sage of Spirit deemed me worthy."

"I see. Well, you must be honored."

"Oh, so being trained by a Sage is no big deal to you? Who _are_ you?" Zukto demanded.

"… I also have been trained by a Sage." Zelda responded after a while.

"Who?!" Zukto seemed less impatient with her now, and more interested. But Zelda chose to say nothing. She ran further up the path instead.

"Wait!" Zukto called out to her, worried about getting lost and worried that she would stop traveling with them. He caught up to her faster than he anticipated; he practically crashed into her because she stopped unexpectedly and threw up an arm, completely shrouded in the sleeves of her cloak, to stop him from going further. He almost opened his mouth to protest, but he heard a slight "Shh!" come from his partner. Zukto looked ahead, where Zelda's gaze was transfixed.

"… What in Farore's name is that thing?"


	5. 4 A Fight With Mythical Creatures

**A/N:** Sorry about that "mean" cliffhanger in Chapter 3… I just couldn't resist!

**A/N:** As always, please, read and review! I need feedback!

"… That is a dragon. Zukto, do not be rash. Those things are dangerous."

"What the hell is a dragon? What does it do?"

"Listen very carefully. That being, that dragon, is somewhat related to Lizalfos and Dinolfos, but it is much more dangerous. Dinolfos normally wear armor that they find or make themselves, but dragons have natural armor. Their hides are very hard to damage or penetrate. Dinolfos breathe fire; so do these beasts. Finally, if you take a look at the arms of that dragon… it has wings. It can fly." Zelda explained, barely whispering. Zukto looked at her mortified.

"Then **HOW** are we supposed to beat it?!"

"I am not sure. I know you practiced archery; I just hope you are a good shot. I have read that dragons normally have a weak spot… if we can find this dragon's weak spot, then I think we have a decent shot at taking it down."

"… Okay. Just… tell me what to do."

"Do not pull out your bow and arrows yet. It still has not noticed us, and we need to take advantage of that fact. Just… wait here." Zelda took the time to observe their surroundings. The dragon appeared to be lying down next to the river. Nearby was a massive tree. Zelda held back a smile.

_Nature has prepared the perfect scenario for me… _She mused silently.

"Do not make a sound." Zelda warned, just before disappearing magically before Zukto's eyes. He was startled, but remembered that he was told not to make any noise. He stifled any sounds that would have leapt from his throat by clamping a hand over his mouth.

_What in Hyrule's name was that?! It was as if… she were swallowed by Shadow… Wait a second…_

Zukto was very interested to mull over his partner's identity, but was also desperate to figure out what she was up to. He decided to keep an eye on the dragon, since he had no idea where she went. The dragon still was not moving.

Zelda popped back into sight in the shadow of the large tree, though Zukto was not watching the tree.

_This couldn't have been more perfect…_

Zelda focused her powers, and contorted her shadow. She reached out her arms, and her arms' shadows grew much longer than they naturally would be. The shadows made contact with the shadow of the dragon. Finally, she locked her fingers together in a small circle. Suddenly, the dragon reared up on its two back legs and shot a column of fire into the air. Zukto flinched, and found a tree to hide behind. The dragon acted so suddenly it startled Zukto.

_What the heck is going on…?_ He looked around the dragon, to try and find Zelda. Then he saw her, with her arms outstretched towards the dragon.

… _It's like she's controlling the strings of a puppet… wait, that's it! _

"Zukto, do not just stand there like an idiot! I can only hold on for so long!" Zelda cried. Zukto felt slightly embarrassed for losing focus during a fight, but her powers were incredibly intriguing. Zukto crept closer to the dragon, careful to avoid the dragon's large tail as it thrashed about. He noticed that, besides the limbs, tail, and neck flailing about, the dragon could not move.

_She must be preventing the thing from walking. Ugh, but I don't notice anything strange…_

"Azera! I can't see anything! Make it roll onto its back!" Zukto yelled.

"Give me a second!" She yelled back, straining. It was incredibly tiring, holding back a colossal being. She swung her arms toward the ground, and the dragon literally collapsed. The belly was exposed to Zukto. It started thrashing even more violently. Zukto noticed something shine on the underside of one of the back legs of the dragon, but his angle of sight was not good enough. He moved a bit closer.

"I see it!" He called. There was a peculiar gem on the inner thigh of the dragon.

_That must be it._

"Please hold on a little longer!" Zukto called, pulling his bow off his shoulder sling. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver, and then prepared to nock the arrow. When he did, he began to aim at the jewel. But the dragon was out of control, even with Azera holding it down. Zukto suddenly had an idea.

"Let him go!"

"WHAT?! Are you crazy?!"

"Just do it! I know you can't keep it up for much longer anyway!"

Reluctantly, Zelda followed his instructions. Noticing it was free to move, the dragon immediately rose up into the air with a single flap of its mighty wings. It turned toward Zukto, seeing that he had a weapon drawn.

"Zukto! RUN! Get out of here!" Zelda called, panicked.

"We're heroes! We don't back down from challenges!" Zukto yelled, determined. Zelda felt like punching him, but could not help blaming herself for the current situation.

… _Wait! I can still help…!_

The dragon, still fixated on Zukto, inhaled deeply. Zukto had kept his arrow in position up until this point, but noticed the dragon's behavior.

_Crap, it's going to breathe fire, isn't it? I don't think I can avoid it, especially if it flies closer…!_ Zukto thought, ready to try anyway. He tensed his body, ready to roll out of the trajectory of the flame as soon as the dragon shot it…

Just as the dragon let loose the stream of fire, and Zukto was about to roll away from the oncoming attack, he felt a strange power around him. A bubble popped up around him, and diverted the flames! He looked around, completely surprised. Azera was next to him, holding her arms up again. She had erected a shield to keep them safe.

"Quit stalling! Kill it!" Zelda yelled.

"Right!" Zukto quickly realigned his arrow, and shot at the confused dragon. The dragon screamed, likely in pain, but it appeared to still be alive. It dropped back down to the ground with a crash.

"I think I've injured it…" Zukto muttered.

"Great, but injuring it is not good enough. In fact, now it is even more dangerous to leave this thing here. What if it attacks the village?"

"I-I know… I just need to hit it again. Can you lend me your power one more time? I need you to expose his belly again."

"… I will try. But you will likely only have seconds to shoot it. Be ready." Zelda raised her arms again, and curled her fingers as if trying to grab something. The dragon tried to take a step towards Zelda and Zukto, but felt a force pulling it backwards. It could not take a step forward. In frustration, it reared again.

"Zukto, NOW!" Zelda cried. Zukto quickly readjusted his aim and let the arrow fly. Zelda strained herself to hold on just moments longer…

The dragon let out a terrible screech, and felt limp in Zelda's hold. She let go, and the body fell like a rock to the ground. It was dead. Zelda fell to her knees, exhausted. Her breathing picked up. Zukto was about to kneel to her level to see what he could do for her, but he heard approaching footsteps. He stood in a somewhat protective manner in front of Zelda.

"Please move, Zukto." She asked. He did, nervously. The group of people stopped a bit away from Zelda and Zukto, but one person walked closer still. It was the Village Leader. Zelda began to talk in 'Fire Tongue.' The Village Leader's face went from grave to ecstatic in mere moments. The Leader turned to his people, excitedly repeated something, and the entire group rushed to Zelda and Zukto. Many hands patted their backs, and many voices simultaneously chattered, but Zukto did not understand a word of it.

"Now I understand. You are the hero I read about." The Leader suddenly said, in clear Hylian. The other villagers stopped their excited clamoring to allow the pair to hear their leader.

"So you have always been able to…?" Zelda started.

"How often do you tell secrets to total strangers?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Zelda smiled in spite of herself, recognizing the significance of what he said.

"Well, um, what did you say about a hero? Can you explain that to us, Sir?" Zukto asked.

"Right. Well, I could not always speak Hylian. Used to have no clue it existed. But when I was reading some ancient texts written by our ancestors, I kept reading something peculiar. I read that… a faceless Hylian hero would save this village. As soon as I accepted that my ancestors were predicting a very important encounter, I taught myself to speak Hylian so that I may speak with our savior."

"What if we are not the heroes your ancestors envisioned?" Zelda pointed out.

"You are." The Village Leader smiled smugly. Zukto glanced at Zelda, but could not tell if she was glancing back at him since her face was hidden.

"Two things. You are faceless, my Heroin. The legends _always_ said that a hero without a face would appear. You're faceless to me because I have never seen it before. Next, and probably most importantly, you took down a dragon. These creatures are not to be trifled with, even if you are the most experienced fighter. You two took one out, and no one even asked you. I can see that you two are virtuous and strong. Please, stay with us in the village tonight. Don't worry about payment for the food you eat or the rooms you stay in. You did my village such a valuable service that I am unsure of my ability to properly repay you."

"Please do not go out of your way."

"Will you deny my gift, then?" The Leader asked.

"No, of course not. But your village is…" Zelda started, slightly embarrassed.

"Do not worry about my village. We've been trying to bring that dragon down ourselves but could not figure out how to do it. I want to host a party in your honor. Come." The Leader said a few words to his townspeople and headed back down the mountain. The women followed him, chatting excitedly. The men went to the dragon, likely to check it for any salvageable materials.

"Well, let us go. No point in staying here…" Zelda muttered, standing slowly. She was still a bit tired.

"Need help down the mountain?"

"No." She snapped. She quickly regretted it, however.

"I-I am sorry. I am… tired…" She muttered as she went back down the mountain. Zukto gave her some space, but remained behind her. He wanted to make sure she made it down without hurting herself.

"There's no way Zukto and that woman are doing better than I am." Kyoshiro mused as he put down another fish next to him. He had caught ten really fat fish so far.

_When should I stop…? Well, if I'm only giving this to the Inn Keeper, I don't need much more than this. I ain't fishing for the whole village, after all…_ Kyoshiro thought, setting his pole down and considering his handiwork.

Suddenly, Kyoshiro heard irregular splashes. He checked the water, but did not notice anything. He turned his back to the body of water, preparing to drag the fish back to town, but he heard more noise. He turned back around and thought he heard a yell, but was not sure. He stood there for another moment, contemplating what to do. Before he could make up his mind, someone clearly shouted nearby in 'Fire Tongue.' It was a woman. She frantically yelled as she looked towards the water. She started pointing, too. Some of the local men shook their head at her, or said something to her that was incomprehensible to Kyoshiro.

He decided to look where the woman was pointing; he finally saw what was causing the noise he originally heard. A small child was splashing around. Kyoshiro knew then that this child needed help. Without saying anything, he thrust down his sheathed sword and removed a lot of his clothes. He dove into the water, and swam as fast as he could to reach the child. The villagers still on land started chatting excitedly after watching Kyoshiro rush to the child's aid. Kyoshiro had incredibly muscular arms, and they propelled him through the water. In no time, he reached the child.

"Kid, you're going to be okay. Climb on!" Kyoshiro yelled. The kid, a little girl, stared at him briefly because she did not understand what he was saying. But she did understand that he could swim her to safety. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and held on as tight as she could. Not wanting to risk losing her, Kyoshiro swam to shore much more slowly than when he swam to meet the child. When they got on land, Kyoshiro bent down and rest his hands on his knees. He was panting a little. The woman who was yelling earlier, Kyoshiro assumed that it was the girl's mother, ran up to Kyoshiro and started excitedly talking in her native language. Kyoshiro did not say anything in response, knowing that she could not understand him. He reached back to grab the little girl from his shoulders, and gently passed the child to her mother. The mother squeezed the child and cried. Kyoshiro gently placed a hand on the woman's shoulder because he did not know what else to do. She smiled at him, and Kyoshiro could not help but smile back. Then he shivered a bit. He just remembered that he was not wearing most of his clothes, he was soaking wet, and that night was approaching. He trudged back to his stuff and looked at it.

"I'm soaked through. I don't want to put this stuff back on…" He muttered. Just then, someone tapped his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed a man. The man looked a little feeble; due to age, an injury, or failing health, Kyoshiro was not sure. The man handed Kyoshiro a big piece of cloth. Kyoshiro assumed that it was a towel, and that the man wanted Kyoshiro to be able to dry off.

"Thanks." Kyoshiro said, forgetting about the language barrier. The man did not understand Kyoshiro naturally, but smiled when Kyoshiro took the towel and started rubbing himself down. The man then collected Kyoshiro's things, and motioned for Kyoshiro to follow him. Kyoshiro thought about it, and guessed that this man must be the father of the girl he saved.

_Hey, now that I think about it… I gathered food to pay the inn keeper, I did it without a woman's help, and I saved a little girl! I'm a hero! I can't wait to see their smug faces change when I tell them about what I did without them. _

The feeble man led Kyoshiro back to the village, where the preparations for the party were already in full swing.

"Hey now! Being a hero is awesome! I save a little girl, and look at what they're doing for me!" Kyoshiro said triumphantly. Nothing could ruin his mood… nothing, except…

"Wow, I was almost starting to think that we'd have to enjoy the party without you." Zukto mocked as he noticed Kyoshiro approaching. Kyoshiro looked at him, puzzled.

"How could you enjoy the party without me? After all, it's because…" Kyoshiro started.

"We slayed a dragon that had been terrorizing these people; the party is for Zukto and I." Zelda stated, cutting Kyoshiro off. Kyoshiro's eyes widened.

"Wait a second. Did you just say… a dragon?"

"Yes. Now get your clothes back on. Or do you plan on making everyone in the immediate area… intimately aware with you?" Zelda asked, mockingly. She also rolled her eyes, but no one could see that.

"Er, yeah… but wait a second. You have no idea what I was doing before I showed up! I rescued a drowning kid!" Kyoshiro protested as he hurriedly started pulling clothes on.

"Wow, you saved a kid? I'm actually a little surprised to hear it." Zukto stated, laughing a bit.

"Can it. What would you have done?" Kyoshiro snapped in response. Suddenly, the village elder returned to the trio. Zelda again began conversing in 'Fire Tongue,' likely to find out what he wanted. She nodded her head to something he said and fell silent.

"Excuse me sir, the wet one. I have heard from one of the families in my village that you saved a small girl from drowning. We are beyond being in your debt for your selflessness. Between the acts of you three heroes… I do not think that my village can do anything to adequately repay you. But know that all three of you are welcome in this village and that our resources and facilities are yours to command should the need arise. Please, enjoy yourselves tonight. And I wish you luck on your journey. I have full confidence that you have what it takes to fulfill your goals. Our worlds are safe if they are in your hands." With that, the elder bowed deeply. Zelda returned the gesture. Zukto and Kyoshiro watched for a moment, before awkwardly returning the bow. The elder, looking satisfied, left them.

"Well, I honestly did not expect people to get this excited about us so soon. I assumed that we would have to jump through hurdles to even reach the temples…" Zelda muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding. Though really, this is all thanks to you. I couldn't… I couldn't have beat that dragon without you." Zukto stated.

Zelda smiled slightly, though no one could tell.

"As I recall, you are the one who said you needed me… so I guess it is to be expected." Zelda answered, coolly.

Zukto raised an eyebrow slightly, but had a feeling that she was playing around. Finally, he was getting the sense that she was more than just a walking encyclopedia.

"Okay, enough with the games. Who are you? Are you a Sheikah?" Zukto suddenly grew serious. Zelda was taken aback for a moment, but when she thought about it, she did not really blame Zukto for being frustrated. She paused before speaking, trying to decide the best course of action.

"… What led you to the conclusion that I am a member of a dying race of people?"

"Well… before I met you, I asked some palace guards about you. They told me that you were a special guest of the royal family. Next, some guards had asked me if I had seen a Hylian with red eyes. I've never seen your eyes before, so maybe they aren't red, but Kyoshiro here told me something interesting. He told me that it's impossible for Hylians to have red eyes. He said that only Sheikah have red eyes. Then, you… you told me that you trained under an honorable Sage. I've seen your powers at work… you clearly know the magic passed down by the Sage of Shadow. As for the special guest comment I made earlier… I now know, thanks to Kyoshiro here, that the Sheikah are closely linked to the Royal Family of Hyrule. Therefore… the only reasonable conclusion here is that you are Sheikah yourself." Zukto explained. Kyoshiro nodded vigorously to show his support for Zukto's logic, and of course, to prove his involvement with discovering Zelda's identity. While Zelda admitted to herself that Zukto's detective work was not too bad, he was naturally way off base.

"… Yes. I guess I could not cover my tracks too well. You found me out. My name actually is not Azera. I assumed that name to protect my true identity. We, the Sheikah, have many enemies. That is why my people are nearly gone. But I am a little impressed that you remembered all of those random, and seemingly insignificant, pieces of my identity."

"I won't ask you for your true identity. I figure you'll tell us when you're ready. And I guess I was a little pushy about who you were, but…"

"No offense taken. You were right to wonder. But now that we are in this for the long haul, I hope I can trust you two to keep my identity a secret. I agreed to accompany you, Zukto, because I had a feeling that what you were told to do is a matter of great importance. Since this mission will ensure the stability of the Royal Family and Hyrule's peace, I felt that I was bound to help you. My sole purpose is to defend the Royal Family. Please keep that in mind."

"… Can we see what you look like?" Kyoshiro suddenly blurted out. Zelda shot him a disapproving look, but he could not see it. She sighed, and abruptly left the two men by themselves.

"Way to go, Kyo." Zukto grunted. He finally felt like he had a connection with "Azera," but Kyo was just as rude as ever.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Kyoshiro asked. "Well, whatever. I'm getting food." He walked off, leaving Zukto by himself.

_I am leading a colorful bunch, aren't I?_ Zukto mused. Tomorrow, the three would venture into the temple.


	6. 5 Memories and Identities

**A/N:** Please read and review! Right now I feel like I'm writing to myself. Herr herr, Dear Diary…

**A/N:** Just to warn you; there's a bit of language!

The three heroes of the Volcano Base village in Firean had parted ways during the party. When the two men of the group were finally in the same room together, at the inn, they continued the silence that grew between them earlier. Each member of the team, Zelda included, was wrapped up in his or her own thoughts.

_I wonder what the Firean Temple will be like… you know, since we had to fight a dragon earlier, I wonder if we'll have to fight more of them near, or even inside, the temple…_ Zukto thought. At the very least, it was comforting for him to know he was already capable of taking out the massive, winged beasts. Even if he needed help to do it.

_I am pretty okay with this so far, I guess. I'm a hero already in a new land. We got all the food we could eat last night… and the villagers are __**all **__over me. Maybe… destiny is a real thing after all? I was fated to be a hero. But not just a hero of Hyrule; I'm a hero of all lands! Now… if only that girl would stop hiding her face… maybe I should make plans to trick her into lowering her hood._ Kyoshiro started imagining what their female partner looked like. He was hoping she was not some old, ugly lady.

When she was by herself in her room, Zelda finally took her cloak off and set it aside. She stared into a small mirror that hung by itself on a wall. She peered hard at her reflection. Her red eyes looked strange to her in comparison to her pale skin. As far as she knew, no one besides Master Impa had red eyes like she did. But then again, Impa rarely ventured outside of the Temple or Kakariko Village; very few people were exposed to her Sheikah characteristics. It was because of this that Zelda had decided a while back to obscure her face. The Sheikah were merely people of legends nowadays; Zelda had a feeling that the average person would get scared after seeing her face before they asked questions. She felt frustrated, and a bit lonely. Her eyes in the mirror flashed at her. She flinched a bit.

_I was always like this, right? But… I cannot remember… how did my parents react when they looked at me? How did the other villagers react…? Were they bothered by my eyes? The King and Queen were; I remember that much. And I am, even though I am stuck with them… that guy in the alley was right. I do look pretty terrifying... _She lightly touched the left side of her face, where her scar was. She traced it with a finger. The scar stung a bit.

"Who the hell am I, anyway? The King says I am the Princess of Hyrule. So I am Hylian? But my features clearly say that I am _not_ Hylian. Dammit! Why is it that I cannot remember? I can remember everything else… but when it comes to my face…" Zelda sighed, and tore her gaze away from the mirror. She walked back over to where she laid her cloak, and pulled out a rock from the inside of it. It had a small string tied around it.

"Father." She whispered to the rock. The rock lit up suddenly.

"Zelda? Is that my daughter?" A voice responded.

"Yes, Father. It is Princess Zelda."

"Now, 'Princess Zelda,' do you mind answering some questions?" The voice asked.

"Go ahead."

"How old is your sister?"

"She is nine."

"Where were you raised?"

"Kakariko Village, at the foot of Death Mountain."

"Who is your Master?"

"I train with Master Impa."

"Alright, I figure that I am actually talking to my daughter. I am sorry; I had to make sure it was not a thief or assassin who had possession of this Gossip Stone."

"I understand, Father. I do not need anything by the way. I only contacted you to let you know where I am. I am in Firean."

"… Why are you there? And how did you get there?"

"I came into contact with the Goddesses. I was told that I am a vital member of a team that is working on sparing Hyrule and our sister worlds from a great evil. What we are doing is serious. So do not send guards out to look for me. Unless your guards know how to get to Firean, and can help battle some dragons, they will just be in our way."

"… I do not want to just let this slide, but I have no choice. You are ordered to come straight back to the Palace when you finish your business in Firean. Give me a full report upon your return. Also, I will need to thank the other members of your group properly. Be safe, my daughter." With that, the stone lost its enchanted glow.

"Sure. Not like you actually care about me anyway. But it would be a shame if the heir to the Hylian throne was suddenly offed…" Zelda sighed as she ran a hand through her long, black hair. Her hair trailed behind as she paced around the room, deep in thought. She was not really concerned about the temple they were about to enter; her concern was what was going to happen afterwards.

_How can I possibly hide my identity from them if Father ordered that we report to the Palace? Can I just lie, and say that we have urgent business that keeps us from going? Ah, but the gateway to the Goddesses lies in Castle Town… a guard would notice me for sure. Dammit. I was hoping to keep my identity a secret until a more opportune time. I am still not sure how this might affect our efforts… _

Suddenly, Zelda was snapped from her thoughts when she heard a knock at her door.

_Crap! _

"J-just a second!" Zelda called, as she scrambled to put on her full-body cloak. As she pulled the hood up to hide her face, she opened the door.

"Yes?" She was a little surprised to see Zukto standing there.

"S-sorry for bothering you all of a sudden. I can't sleep, and was hoping we might be able to talk."

"What about?"

"Just… about stuff in general." Zukto muttered. Zelda was pretty sure he was hoping for something specific but did not want to come right out and say what it was, probably because he was nervous about what her reaction might be.

"Okay, so I shall start. You spent a lot of time in Gerudo Desert, from what I have gathered. Do you know who Ganondorf is?" Zukto looked a bit surprised at her question. Of course he did, but why would a Sheikah care about that?

"Yes, I do. Ganondorf is a man of great power. The legends call him The Great King of Evil, I guess. He is the only man born to the Gerudo woman in about one hundred years, due to an ancient curse. By the laws of the Gerudo, Ganondorf is the leader of the Gerudo tribe. Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, my Master, is supposedly Ganondorf's right-hand woman. But she… doesn't much care for how he lies, steals, and hurts people. Ganondorf takes advantage of those weaker than him because he possesses incredible magic. That's exactly what Nabooru despises about him. I'm sure you know this, but Ganondorf is the embodiment of the Triforce of Power." Zelda listened intently to Zukto's explanation.

_Well, he did not quite say anything I have not already read from the ancient texts. My question remains unanswered; why did he attack…_

"Is something wrong?" Zukto felt like he was groping in the dark when he interacted with this woman. He could not see her face, or observe any kind of body language.

"No. You have been a help to me. I was told by the Royal Family that Ganondorf is increasing his activity as of late. We do not know his intentions, but I suppose it might be the Triforce. Or perhaps he wants to unseat His Majesty Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule from the throne. No matter what though, it is my job to make sure Ganondorf is unsuccessful in any endeavors that might negatively impact Hyrule. You have my word that I will continue to lend you my power in your efforts. I only ask that you allow me to conduct my own investigations into other official business that comes up in between our assignments."

"Of course I will allow that. I owe you, after all. I realize that I am asking a lot. As for Ganondorf… he seems to be a threat to everyone, not just the Royal Family. So if we should cross paths with Ganondorf during our journey, I will not leave you to confront him on your own. You know, during my time with the Gerudo, we never saw Ganondorf once." Zukto added as an afterthought.

"Typical." Zelda muttered.

"Did you say something?"

"No." Zelda curtly responded. Zukto was not really sure what to say after that. The atmosphere was tense and awkward. He had a lot of questions, naturally, but he did not want to be like Kyoshiro. But did he not have a right to know about this person?

"Well, are we done then?" Zelda asked. Zukto was pretty sure that was more of a request for him to leave than anything else.

"Are you cursed?" Zukto asked. Zelda sighed. He probably would not ever let it go.

"My people are cursed, yes. But the Gerudo, the people you lived with, understand that very well do they not?" That answer made Zukto fall silent again.

"We have a long day tomorrow. Get some rest." Zelda suggested. Zukto knew it was pointless to try and get her further involved in conversation. He nodded slightly.

"Goodnight, Azera." Zukto let himself out of the room, feeling just as lost as before. But things would be made clear before long, right?

"… Do not worry, Zukto. You will find out what you want to know soon enough." Zelda whispered, staring at the door. After a few minutes, Zelda decided that she should follow her own advice.

"No point in standing around here. I would prefer to do research, but I do not have access to anything around here… so sleep it is." She went to a small basin and splashed cold water on her face, but cringed when her scar got wet.

"Everything irritates that damn thing. It is like it has a mind of its own." She muttered tersely. Suddenly, her scar flashed as if in response. She did a double-take, but it did not flash again.

_I am __**not**__ seeing things… I refuse to believe that parts of my memory have been wiped out, along with being prone to illusions. I obviously do not rest enough…_ Zelda collapsed onto the lone bed in the room. She tried hard to make her brain stop mulling over things. The more she thought, the harder it would be to sleep…

"Mom! I'm home!" A young Zelda ran up to a small, wooden house. She threw the front door open excitedly.

"Mom! Dad! Look at what I have!" She called. But she was confused that there was still no response. She took her boots off, and her coat, and left them by the door. She walked down a small hallway that led into another, larger hallway. The second hallway either led to the bedrooms or the living room.

_Maybe Mom's in the kitchen? _

"Mom? Dad…?" Zelda entered the living room, which was the only route to the kitchen. But an awful sight welcomed her there; blood splatters were all over the furniture, and her parents were sitting in a pool of their own blood. She screamed, and tears immediately fell from her eyes.

"M-mooomm? D-daadd? Wake up! You're… just asleep, right? Right? Why… why won't you answer me?" The girl continued to sob.

"The scream came from here! Come on!" Zelda heard a muffled voice from somewhere. She looked around frantically.

"Help!" Zelda cried, trying to wipe the tears away. But they weren't stopping. She heard the door to the house open.

"I-I'm in the living room!" Zelda's voice wavered.

"We're coming, just hold on!" Two adults came out of the entry way; a man and a woman. The man, upon surveying the grim scene, rushed to Zelda. The woman held back, seemingly rooted to the spot due to fear. She covered her mouth with her hands.

"Wh-what happened here?"

"I don't know… I just came home, and…" Zelda couldn't complete her sentence. The man knelt down and searched for signs of life from either adult; eventually he sighed and shook his head. He motioned to the woman to join him.

"Take the girl from here. She's probably in shock right now, and if she isn't, she will be. I don't think she knows anything about what happened here. The blood is nearly dry; whatever happened, it happened hours ago." The woman nodded, and gently nudged Zelda to follow her.

"… My parents are dead, aren't they?" Zelda finally asked after following the woman for a while. Already the entire village knew about the murder of Zelda's parents, and the village was a scene of chaos. The woman stopped, and turned to face the child.

"… Yes. Your parents are dead."

"Nooo!" Zelda yelled, sitting straight up. Then she realized she had been dreaming. Her forehead was covered with sweat.

"Ah, dammit all to hell. And now I remind myself why I hate sleeping…" She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. At this point, she was adverse to the idea of going back to sleep.

"I already am tormented by those thoughts during the day. Why the hell can't I escape them? I have to see them at night, too…" Zelda got out of bed and made her way to the basin. She washed her face, and stared at herself in the mirror again.

"Augh… of all of the things I have been forgetting lately, why can I not just forget about _that_ day?" But Zelda knew deep down why she could not.

"Master Impa…" She muttered. "…you saved me that day." She stared at the bracers covering her arms; on the left one, where it covered the back of her hand, a single eye was printed. A red tear drop was falling from the eye.


	7. 6 The First Ancient Temple

A/N: I have found out something… While studying in Russia, I have a lot of inspiration to write it seems!

A/N: R+R? Pretty please~?

Zukto woke up as soon as he heard something crow like a cucco in the distance. Through the curtains covering the one window in the room, a sliver of sunlight was visible. He figured that the species of animals in Firean were radically different than those of Hyrule, but he was not interested in observing the differences between a Hylian cucco and a "Firean cucco."

"Get up, Kyo." Zukto said as he walked to the basin to wash his face.

"Mmhhnn…" Kyoshiro moaned. Zukto rolled his eyes.

"I'm not waiting for you." He slung his quiver of arrows over his right shoulder. His bow was attached to the quiver. Despite his warning, he did wait about a minute more before leaving the room.

When Zukto got downstairs into the lobby of the inn, he noticed a cloaked figure sitting alone. He figured it was Azera, since he had not seen anyone else dress like her. Randomly, it occurred to him that this was the first time he had seen her sitting down. She was always standing up or walking.

"Good morning." Zukto said, raising his voice a bit so she would hear. The cloaked figure stood up at the sound of his voice, and turned to face him.

"Ah, good morning Zukto. You are up early."

"I should say the same to you."

"I am used to being up early. When you have… an obligation like mine, you never know when your services will be required."

"Does the Royal Family work you hard?"

"Sometimes. But I have a lot of time to practice my magic and read old texts."

"You seem incredibly knowledgeable. Are all Sheikah like that?"

"The ones that are left are, yes." Zelda said simply. Zukto immediately felt guilty for asking, but he could not tell if Azera was bothered by his question or not.

"The Shadow Folk are bound to study the ancient texts and advise the Royal Family. I have not heard of any Sheikah doing anything different, though admittedly it is hard to say one way or the other. Almost all of us have been wiped out, but it is possible a few remain in hiding somewhere."

"Would you want to meet them if there were still some survivors?"

"No. They have abandoned their duties if they are in hiding. Only a coward would value his life over his responsibilities to the kingdom." Zelda replied curtly. Zukto raised an eyebrow. Her mind was so one-track, it was ridiculous.

_I know how to work hard and all that, but it's like… it's like I'm talking to a brainwashed Iron Knuckle. And talking to Iron Knuckles, brainwashed or not, never works out in your favor._

"Well hey, if they survived, then they can resume their duties better than if they had died." Zukto offered. Zelda rolled her eyes.

_He totally missed the point. Does he take this stuff seriously?_

"When are we leaving? The artifact we seek is not going to wait around for us if someone were to get to it before we do."

"Well, about that… We're obviously ready to go, but…"

"No need to make excuses for the other one. Kyoshiro can find his own way there if he cares to join us. I refuse to waste more time waiting for him." With that, Zelda left the inn. Zukto felt torn. If they treated Kyo too poorly, he might stop tagging along. On the other hand, Zukto felt like he had a chance of getting back in Kyoshiro's graces if their relationship took a turn for the worse. With Azera on the other hand… Zukto had no amount of confidence that he could get back on her "good side," if he was ever there in the first place; it was incredibly hard to tell. After weighing his options, joining Azera seemed to be the correct decision.

Zukto ran out of the inn, and back up the hill where only yesterday they had encountered the dragon. Zukto could recall every second of the battle as if it were happening all over again, but it still seemed surreal to him. He was used to fighting; after all, Zukto had to fight since he could remember. But the dragon was so different than any other enemy he had ever encountered.

_Well, get used to it, Zukto! You have a lot of battles ahead of you._

After a few minutes of running, a cloaked figure came into view. Zukto wanted to yell to get her attention, but then he thought about the dragon again.

_What if there are some dragons hiding in the mountains around here? I don't want to attract them to us… better keep quiet. Even though this is awkward and I feel almost like a stalker… oh yeah, I've already been accused of stalking Azera. I guess I just can't get out of that, can I?_ Zukto laughed to himself at his own expense. What else was he supposed to do, anyway?

Zukto tried to balance moving quietly with moving quickly. If possible, he wanted to catch up with Azera _before_ she reached the Temple. Then, suddenly, the cloaked figure he had been following vanished.

_Oh, great. Now what?_ Just as Zukto was trying to figure out what to do, he thought he heard something. He looked around for a place to hide; all he noticed was a lake. He slid into it.

_If something around here has a sense of smell, hopefully it isn't good enough to follow me into the water…_ Zukto thought, a bit worried, as he inhaled deeply and submerged himself in the water. The lake was extremely clear, so he kept his attention focused outside of the lake for signs of life. Suddenly, a loud roar ripped through the mountain pass. A huge shadow appeared out of nowhere; it was the shadow of a dragon that was even more impressive-looking than the one Zukto and Azera took down yesterday.

It circled the area twice before heading back the way it came. Zukto quickly got out of the lake because he had a feeling that the dragon was somehow connected to Firean's Temple. Also, he was running out of breath. He gasped a bit as he watched the dragon fly out of view. After catching his breath, Zukto quickened his pace. Not long after he started running after the dragon, the cloaked figure came into view again!

_It must be Azera. She probably hid in the shadows of a cliff or something to escape detection._

Zukto still did not want to yell, but he also did not want to keep playing cat-and-mouse with his partner.

_I kind of wish we had some way to contact one another when we get separated. That would be too convenient, wouldn't it?_

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Zukto was just within a few feet of her. He purposely made himself trip on a rock, hoping to get her attention. It worked, although perhaps not in the way he was imagining.

"Quit following me. If you come any closer to me, I swear I will make you regret-" She started to say, turning around. When she realized who she was talking to, she lowered her arms. Zukto sighed with a bit of relief; her arms had been glowing purple. He did not want to find out what kind of magic he would have fallen victim to had she simply attacked.

"Again? Is this going to happen a lot?" Zelda asked. Zukto could not tell if she was joking or not.

"You caught me… but I had a reason this time! Okay, I'll just admit right now that what I said sounds a bit bad. But I can explain!"

"No need. I guess it cannot be helped. We are headed to the same place, after all. Just do not be so slow next time." Zelda said sternly. She did mean it, because she was impatient to accomplish the things she was expected to accomplish. But she also did not blame Zukto as much as she did Kyoshiro.

_Why in Nayru's name is he with us anyway? I have not seen a single thing that convinces me of his usefulness. _

Finally, after a couple of hours of hiking, the pair found some crumbling pillars.

"We have to be close. Nothing else thus far has stood out to me. And it is pretty common for temples such as this one to fall into disrepair if dangerous monsters roam the area." Zelda said.

"Also, if the people don't even know about it…" Zukto muttered.

"I am all-too-familiar with that scenario. The Temple residing in Kakariko is all but forgotten by the villagers. The Sheikah are the only ones who know the location of the Temple and how to enter it."

"Speaking of entering temples… we'll need to figure out how to enter this one." Zukto stopped wandering around because he felt like it was pointless. "I don't see an entrance; do you?"

Zelda looked around the area, but could not see much more than massive cliffs surrounding them.

"Well, usually… temples, such as the one we seek, are built _after_ someone discovers or invents some kind of reason for a temple to exist in the first place. Many ancient prophecies have come to pass over the centuries. With this in mind, I assume that this Temple also had a prophecy connected to it. The builders of the Temple would have had to devise some method of protecting the Temple from looters and people who do not need to snoop around… some method of protection which only the people fated to explore the Temple can crack."

"… Are you saying we need Kyoshiro?"

"Well, it would be a little astounding to me if we did not, given that the three Goddesses perceive him to be of use in these matters."

"Figures. We get here, but can't enter." Zukto sighed, looking a little defeated. Suddenly, the ground underneath them shook.

"… Is this an earthquake?! If any cracks in the ground show up, avoid them!" Zelda explained. The two frantically scanned the area for a safe spot to occupy. Suddenly, three Stalfos rose out of the ground in a circle around Zukto and Zelda. The two backed up against one another.

"We are outnumbered, but we will be fine." Zelda reassured Zukto.

"Have any ideas?"

"Foolish travelers! You think you can best us so easily?" One of the Stalfos asked. This surprised both Zukto and Zelda.

"… You can speak Hylian?" Zelda inquired.

"We three are very special Stalfos. We have been guarding this Temple for centuries. Our mission is to await the three heroes of legend, and test their skills. We can see that there are only two of you here. I'm sorry, nothing personal… but your lives are forfeit." With that, the Stalfos went on the offensive. Immediately, Zelda reached out her arms like she did with the dragon. One of the Stalfos was utterly immobilized by her magic.

"Zukto, I cannot do this to more than one enemy at a time; keep the others off of me!"

"Right." Zukto suddenly wished that he knew how to use a weapon besides his bow and arrows; Stalfos were close-range fighters. Anytime he tried to nock an arrow, a Stalfos would jump in front of him and interrupt his attempt to dispatch them by swinging their jagged swords. Naturally, Zukto did not stay in one place when the Stalfos aimed a swing at him. In addition, when he was lucky enough to be able to pull off a shot… the Stalfos would just block the arrows with their heavy shields.

Zelda had a bit more luck with her foe. While the Stalfos was rendered immobile by its own devices, Zelda raised her arm that corresponded to the Stalfos' arm which held its sword. She then physically imitated running herself through; while she was unharmed, the Stalfos' body copied what Zelda did and stabbed its sword right through its own bones. One skeletal warrior thus fell.

"Alright, done with one! Now we are even." Zelda declared triumphantly. She charged up magical power in her hands, and flung it at another Stalfos that tried to rush Zukto. The skeleton quickly raised its shield to block the attack. At first, Zelda assumed that the shield would not be strong enough to resist her attack. Unfortunately, she was wrong; the shield held up well against her magic.

"Wait! I did not even dent it…" Zelda's disappointment was not lost on the remaining Stalfos. One of them cackled.

"You don't listen do you, girl? We said we're waiting for the three heroes. Without them, we're invincible!"

"… Zukto, we can each kill exactly one of these guys… Kyoshiro has to kill one! If he does not show up soon…"

"Did someone call me?!" With a ridiculous entrance that only Kyoshiro would be capable of, he dashed into view and straight up to the Stalfos that blocked Azera's magic. He swung his heavy sword above his head and plunged it straight into the Stalfos' head. The remaining Stalfos dropped its weapon.

"You! You three are the legendary heroes! I am honored to see you in the flesh. Please, excuse the test. It was the only way that you could be shown the entrance to the Temple. Give me a moment." Slowly, the two fallen Stalfos stood back up, revived, and followed the leader to one of the faces of a nearby cliff. They each surrendered their swords to indents in the cliff. The ground shook once more, this time to reveal a hidden stairway deeper into the mountain.

"Before we part ways heroes, I have a word of caution. You seem to assume that one person can accomplish everything by his or herself. Such thoughts will only allow you to get so far; proceed with caution and try to cooperate." After delivering the message, the three Stalfos warriors disappeared into the ground.

"You're welcome." Kyoshiro said, making a motion with his hands as if he was dusting his hands off.

"Come off it. You should have been with us from the very beginning." Zelda snapped.

"Geez, testy…" Kyoshiro muttered.

"Come." Zelda practically ordered. She began the descent into the Temple.

"I hope you're ready Kyo. We're about to end up who-knows-where, and fight who-knows-what." Zukto warned.

"Oh, whatever. Did you already forget how skillfully I destroyed that bag of bones?"

"… Right." Zukto decided that Kyoshiro probably was not the best person for stimulating conversation. He followed Azera deeper into the mountain. Kyoshiro followed after them, but on his own time.

"I don't rush to anything. I always find my targets, no matter whom they are or where they're hiding. I came on time back there, so what's the point of worrying about it?" Kyoshiro began talking. Zelda tried to ignore him, and certainly did not grace his comments with a response.

Finally, the adventurers reached the Temple proper. In the main hall, tall statues of dragons were erected in rows. There was a door in the room, and the trio decided that it was probably the way to go, but they did not know how to get to it. The door was located on the opposite side of a pit of lava. It took Zelda mere moments to devise a solution.

"Please stand aside you two, and make sure your shadows do not touch the shadow of the statue I am about to manipulate." The two men backed up as instructed, and watched as Zelda closed her eyes and began manipulating shadows again. One statue's shadow stretched out so far that it created a "bridge" across the lava.

"Cross it." She instructed. Zukto immediately ran across. It was admittedly weird for him to walk across a shadow, but he was grateful for Azera's abilities.

"So… this is safe, then?" Kyoshiro muttered.

"What, something wrong?" Zelda asked.

"N-nothing." Kyoshiro hesitated, but slowly inched his way across the bridge. Zelda sighed.

"And finally, when the adventurers die of old age…" She muttered to herself. With the two men near the door, Zelda was next.

"Do not move, either of you." Zelda suddenly disappeared from where she was standing. Seconds later, she literally rose out of Kyoshiro's shadow! Kyoshiro jumped backwards.

"Dear Goddesses! What in the name of Hyrule was that?"

"I can manipulate shadows as you have already seen. The shadows of people and objects are also an incredibly convenient way for me to travel a lot of distance in a short amount of time. Ah yes, thank you for lending me your shadow." Zelda led the way through the door into the next room.

The next room of the Temple was completely dark.

"Great! I can't see anything." Kyoshiro complained.

"What gave that away?" Zelda muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, just… go teleport across the room and turn the lights on!" Kyoshiro said, exasperated.

"I cannot travel via shadows if there are none. Darkness is different than shadows. I cannot SEE any shadows here. How about you?" Zelda sighed.

"Well, I see a small light. It's way over there." Zukto offered. He pointed to where it was, but then remembered that no one could see anything. He felt a little silly with his arm outstretched, so he lowered it.

"Ah, I see it… so what?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Zukto, aim an arrow at that light." Zelda suggested. Zukto was a little confused at the suggestion at first, but had to admit to himself that he was not exactly a source of great ideas at the moment. He did as he was instructed; when the arrow flew past the light, the entire room lit up.

"Ah! Nice goin' Zukto." Kyoshiro mused.

"Well, thank you Azera for your suggestion. Let's go see what exactly I did to make the lights come on." Zukto ran over to the light. The light was actually a small torch, and behind the torch was a button situated on a wall.

"Your arrow must have activated the button. At any rate, let us press on." Zelda moved ahead, assuming that Zukto and Kyoshiro were following. Kyoshiro stopped Zukto.

"By the Goddesses, do we really have to put up with her? She's getting annoying. I couldn't even stop to get a drink of water if I wanted." Kyoshiro complained.

"Well, she's taking this situation seriously; unlike you."

"Why are you 'defending' her? She doesn't need your help. I bet if you ever offered to help her with something, she'd tell you to get lost in the Lost Woods. As it is, I wish _she_ would get lost in the Lost Woods… you know, they say that people who get lost in the Forest turn into Stalfos…" Kyoshiro muttered. Zukto shook his head.

"You don't remember anything that Stalfos said, do you? The Stalfos warned us about being too focused on what we can do ourselves. We need to work as a team, not just a bunch of individuals. Stay here if you like, but I'm going ahead." With that, Zukto broke into a jog to catch up with Azera. Kyoshiro kicked a rock out of frustration.

"I'm tired of being told what to do. Doing everything by myself suits me much better."

When Zukto entered a new room, he was met with a surprise. Something fell from the ceiling! Zukto flinched, and covered his head. When he recovered his upright stance, he noticed that he was confined in a cage.

"Hm, well, this wouldn't have been my first choice of real estate…"

"Zukto, do not worry, I can get you out of there." Said a familiar voice. It was Azera. She appeared from behind a statue.

"So there you are. How come you didn't get caught like this?"

"I noticed that the floor where you are standing is oddly colored." She pointed out. Zukto looked down; so it was.

"It is a pressure panel. I figured that some kind of trap would be activated if I stepped there. So I jumped over it."

"You're pretty observant. I don't normally think to check what's under my feet."

"Well… you will catch on before long." Zelda paused, to wisely pick her words. Zukto smiled; so she knew how to be encouraging.

_Kyoshiro is way off-base about her. He's not giving her a chance, I think. And he'll come to regret it before long. _

"So, um, about getting me out of here…"

"Ah, yes, let me take care of that." Azera went back behind the statue. While she was back there, the cage was lifted off of Zukto. At the same time the cage returned to the ceiling, a staircase heading further down into the Temple revealed itself.

"I see! So you _have_ to activate the pressure plate. If you do not, the stairs never show up!" Zelda observed, somewhat amused.

"That _is_ rather clever, even if I had to fall for the trap. So… you really _do_ need to come here as a group. If a single person came by themselves, and somehow managed to get this far, how could they get behind that statue if they were stuck in a cage?" Zukto pondered.

"It is all as the Stalfos said. We have to work together." Zelda said, nodding slightly.

"Well, speaking of working together… about Kyoshiro…" Zukto started.

"He is lagging behind again? Let us… just proceed. We can try to get further without him. We cannot _make_ him help us… so if he is not in the mood, there is no point in standing around and wasting our time." Zelda explained.

"You know, I'm starting to question why Goddess Din insisted he come with us in the first place. So far, he's only helped us once..." Zukto muttered.

"I had similar thoughts earlier. But maybe there is hope for him yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in many ancient texts that describe the heroic deeds of our late heroes, such journeys as the one we have embarked on typically change the person, or people, that experience them. So maybe Kyoshiro still has a bit of growing to do."

"… I never thought of that."

_I wonder if I still have growing to do too…_

"In any case, shall we?" Zelda motioned down the staircase. Zukto nodded.

Kyoshiro finally made his way into the room with the cage. He stepped on the pressure plate, but heard a clicking noise. He looked up quickly, and side-rolled out of the way of the cage.

"Hah. These stupid traps are pitiful. Look, I don't need help; not from you or anyone." Then, Kyoshiro noticed he was alone. He was a little disappointed about reacting so quickly and avoiding danger without an audience to impress.

_Bah, I never needed an audience before. It was just the thought of getting more money and fame… keep your eye on the prize, Kyoshiro._ He stopped to consider his options; he rested an arm on a statue. There was another click, but Kyoshiro did not notice any more cages.

_Now what?_ Suddenly, the floor opened up underneath Kyoshiro!

"… I wonder what's keeping him." Zukto wondered out loud, breaking the silence that had fallen between the duo.

"He probably got lost." Zelda said, shrugging.

"… Should we look for him?"

"There is no point. We must be close to the end by now. Besides, he got what he wanted. He wanted to work by himself. So now if he is in a rough situation, he can help himself out of it." Zelda stated. Zukto kind of agreed with her, but he still felt a little bad about it.

The pair entered another room. It was completely dark, like an earlier room was.

"Well, now what? I don't see a light to shoot at." Zukto muttered.

"Shh." Zelda strained her ears to listen for signs of movement—or anything. Eventually, she thought she heard the flap of wings.

"Zukto… there is something here… but if we cannot see it we cannot exactly deal with it." Zelda whispered.

"Now what?"

"I… am not totally sure."

"Well, your hearing is better than mine I think. So how about you act as my eyes, so to speak."

"… I guess we can try. Get an arrow ready." Zelda closed her eyes, and focused all of her energy into listening. She could hear something breathing. Wing flaps were heavy and slow. She also thought she heard the wind.

"Wait a second. If something was in this room with us, I do not think it would be flying. Unless this room was a lot bigger than the rest of the Temple." Zelda explained.

"So what exactly are you saying?"

"Whatever I am hearing is outside of the Temple. So we are safe here." Suddenly, the room shook violently.

"Aahh!" Zelda was caught off-guard, and she fell to the ground.

"Azera! Are you okay?" Zukto asked frantically. He fell too, but stood up as soon as he could.

"I am fine." Zelda said quickly, making sure her hood was still hiding her face. The room was still dark, but she was not about to take any chances.

"So… what was that, exactly?" Zukto asked.

"... Would you believe that whatever I heard outside landed above us?"

"Landed… above… oh great. Remember that large dragon we both hid from earlier? That is what just landed above us." Zukto guessed.

"Well, the question remains… do we just stumble around this room in the dark, or…" Zelda muttered.

While the two were trying to devise a plan, the ground shook again.

"What this time?" Zukto asked, exasperated.

"Whhooooaahhhh look out beloooowww!" Someone yelled. His voice echoed everywhere.

"What in Din's name…? Zukto, we better back up." The two slowly backed up to give the voice they heard space. Suddenly, the sound of a trap door reverberated throughout the room. And someone fell out of it.

"Ouch! Goddesses, don't make me do that again…" The person muttered. Suddenly, torches began to light up all the way around the room. The flood of light revealed that the mystery person was Kyoshiro. He was still on the ground.

"Hey, look at that… Kyo saves the day again!" Zukto said, laughing at the irony. When he heard his name, Kyoshiro looked up.

"It was all part of the plan. You know, I think there's a lesson to be learned here. You two are impatient. I told you there was no reason to rush. When you rush, you miss stuff…" While Kyoshiro was giving his speech, Zelda sighed.

"You need to quit while you are ahead, and admit that whatever just happened was an accident."

"Excuse me? Didn't I just—" Before Kyoshiro could finish, Zukto shot him a disapproving look. He fell silent.

"Let's go everyone! I see a staircase at the back of the room, and that will likely lead us outside where our foe awaits." Zukto explained with mock cheeriness. Zelda thought a minute, and had a feeling that she and Zukto knew what to expect outside, while Kyoshiro did not. He was not around when they fought their first dragon, and he was not around when the two of them had to hide from the large dragon in the mountains.

_Well, he shall find out soon enough anyway._ Zelda shrugged slightly.

The staircase brought the trio up to a huge terrace outside. The wind was blowing heavily.

"Augh, great, how am I supposed to shoot arrows in this?!"

"Maybe you should not bother…" Zelda offered.

"So… what exactly are we looking for out here anyway?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Ahhh, so I have guests." A mysterious, sinister voice echoed around the terrace. It sounded quite close, but no one could see the source of the voice.

"Now is the time to prepare for a fight." Zelda warned.

"You wish to fight me, girl? How amusing. Let us introduce ourselves properly…" The heroes could hear the heavy beat of wings flapping. Suddenly, the large dragon Zukto and Zelda saw earlier came into view. He gracefully landed in front of the trio.

"Hmm, there are more of you than I expected. And there is a girl. I was told nothing about a girl." The dragon growled.

"It makes no difference who or what I am." Zelda replied angrily.

"Oh, you are naïve. Who you are could make the difference between life and death, mortal. And who I am assures me that I shall emerge from this conflict victorious. Enough talk; I have orders to obey. You must die. Do not take it personally." With that, the dragon propelled itself into the air.

"Azera, we need to get it out of the air. We are at a total disadvantage while it flies around."

"Especially you." She mused. "But yes, I agree with you. Try to distract it when it comes back into view."

Zukto and Kyoshiro both stood in front of Zelda as she closed her eyes. She was preparing to manipulate the shadow of the dragon when it came back. As the dragon flew back to the terrace, it loosed a stream of fire from its mouth. Kyoshiro and Zukto ducked out of way, but Zelda remained in place. She quickly erected a magical barrier to shield herself from the flames.

"You two; careful where you stand!" Zelda warned. Just as the dragon stopped shooting flames at her, Zelda grabbed a hold of its shadow. The dragon screamed in surprise.

"What in the Orb's name are you doing, girl?! Release me!" It could not move. Zelda was already feeling tired; it consumed a lot of her energy just to keep him stationary.

"Z-Zukto! Kyoshiro! You must damage it! This is your only shot!" The two looked at each other quickly.

"Zukto, kneel down and don't move. You need to launch me up there." Kyoshiro explained. Zukto nodded and got into position while Kyoshiro quickly backed up, and ran towards Zukto. Kyoshiro jumped up as he reached Zukto, and Zukto put his strength into pushing Kyoshiro further into the air. Kyoshiro was able to grab onto the dragon's neck.

"Get off me, mortal! You shall regret insulting me." The dragon threatened.

"Oh, come off it while you're ahead!" Kyoshiro taunted the beast as he used one hand to unsheathe his sword. He plunged the sword into the beast's unprotected underbelly. The dragon screamed in pain, and fell to the terrace.

"Hold on Kyo!" Zukto called. Kyoshiro swung himself onto the dragon's back to avoid being bit, but he did not have his weapon anymore; it was stuck in the dragon.

"Zukto, the wind died down has it not?" Zelda observed as she let go of the dragon's shadow.

"So it has. In the excitement, I didn't notice. Where shall I shoot?"

"Where it will hurt the most." Zelda suggested as she charged up a ball of magic and fired it at the dragon's head. It flinched, but did not appear to suffer much from the attack. The dragon turned its head to try and bite Kyoshiro, who was still on its back.

"Whoah, guys, I need help here!" Kyoshiro yelled.

"I am on it. Watch out!" Zelda warned, as she manipulated the shadow of Kyoshiro's sword. She drew it out of the dragon, which caused the beast more pain, and threw it up into the air. Kyoshiro caught it triumphantly.

"We make a good team! Now let's show this overgrown Lizalfos a thing or two!" Kyoshiro declared. He swung once at the dragon's head, but missed. The second swing did not miss however; the dragon swung its head away from Kyoshiro and growled after contact. Though its scales protected its face from major damage, the sword stung and the dragon could feel some of its scales coming loose in places.

"Your game has lasted long enough!" The dragon angrily declared, as he began to shake himself. Kyoshiro lost his footing, and fell off the dragon's back. As Kyo fell, the dragon launched himself back into the air. Before Kyoshiro hit the ground, Zelda grabbed his shadow and set him down gently.

"Thanks… Your powers are pretty handy."

"Just keep your eyes on our foe." As she was saying this, Kyo frantically pointed behind her. It seemed as if his words were failing him. Zelda knew that whatever Kyo saw wasn't good, so she melted into the shadows just as the dragon was about to sneak up on her. He wasn't expecting her to disappear from right in front of him; he kept flying and crashed into a wall.

"It's facing the wrong way! Can you… maybe turn it over? We can attack it while it's dazed and in pain." Zukto offered. Zelda had to admit it was a great idea, but she was unsure whether or not she was in shape enough to make something so massive roll over. But she had to try.

"… I might need your help. To even hold him in place is hard enough, let alone making his entire body re-orient."

"I understand. Kyo, come on! We need to push!" Zukto yelled. Kyoshiro looked confused, but he followed Zukto. When the two men were ready, Zukto signaled to Zelda. She concentrated as much as could on the dragon's shadow, and slowly began to push its body over. As it began to move, Zukto and Kyo thrust all of their strength into helping Zelda. Miraculously, the plan worked! The dragon was now lying on its back.

"Kyo, we have to make this count. Do your worst." Zukto instructed. Kyo's eyes shined.

"Gladly!" Kyoshiro waved his sword once as a warm up before stabbing the dragon several times in different places. Its screams of pain were worse with each impact. Zukto nocked an arrow and shot it into one of the dragon's closed eyes. The pain was so great that the dragon unexpectedly shot into the air, but it could only see half as well as before. It clumsily flew through the air.

"Where is that cursed woman?! She is the first to die!" The dragon declared as it looked around the terrace. Finally, he found her. She was still exhausted from moving him; she was kneeling down on the ground and had not moved.

"Azera! You have to move NOW!" Zukto yelled. She did not respond. Zukto was hit with an overwhelming sense of dread. The dragon began to fly straight for Zelda while Zukto ran to try and stop him. Zukto reached Zelda in time, but the dragon was only a moment slower than Zukto. Zukto braced himself, not knowing what was going to happen. Suddenly, Zukto heard an awful crashing noise. He could not feel anything, so he opened his eyes and straightened up. The dragon was collapsed on the ground again.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I knew what he was planning to do, so I stayed as still as possible. When the moment was right, I threw up a solid barrier. I was pretty tired from what I had just done, which is why I had not moved, but it turned out to be great cover for a surprise attack. You getting involved just made it so much more believable." Zelda mused. Zukto felt a little embarrassed for some reason.

"Well, we need to finish him off. Kyoshiro, get over here!" Zelda yelled. Kyo made haste.

"Come, we should end this together." She said. The three nodded. Because the dragon kept crashing into walls, his scales had been coming off. A gem was now visible on the back of his neck. All three heroes charged up an attack and struck it at the same time. The beast screamed horribly, before going silent and still. His body began to magically decompose.


	8. 7 Victory and the Unveiling of Secrets

A/N: Insert the victory music from LoZ here for our heroes!

A/N: Read and review, please!

Zelda, Zukto, and Kyoshiro were breathing heavily. They looked at each other, almost in disbelief. They beat the massive dragon that was guarding the first temple!

"Well, that did not end too horribly." Zelda mused.

"Awww, yeah! Did you see me? I was on FIRE during that battle!" Kyoshiro declared, thrusting a triumphant fist into the air.

"Let's go find the artifact that the Goddesses sent us here for." Zukto requested.

"Agreed." Zelda responded, nodding. They looked around the terrace, and noticed a little alcove that was not there earlier. They ran towards it.

Once inside, they found a small alter standing on the opposite wall to the entrance.

"Is that it…?" Kyoshiro asked. Zukto approached the alter. Above it, a large scythe hung on the wall.

"Ah, Azera, please come here… there is writing here and I can't read it." Zukto explained. Zelda approached him, and looked to where he was focused. She studied the text a while before reading it out loud.

"Here lies the tool the servants of the Gods used to purge the unworthy from the dominion of the Gods. Unworthy mortals may not wield it."

"Thanks… well, should I grab it?" Zukto asked, hesitantly.

"Of course. Even if I doubt you, I do not doubt the Goddesses. They chose you for a reason." After she finished, Zukto stood there silently for a moment. He agreed with Azera, so he grabbed the scythe. The weapon flashed briefly, but nothing else happened. The two looked at each other for a while before deciding that nothing bad was going to happen. Though Zukto thought it was weird for him to be staring into "empty space…" When was she going to show her face?

"Well, this trip appears to be a success. Let us return to Hyrule." Zelda suggested.

"We have quite a trek ahead of us. Let's return first to the village. If night is upon us when we return, we can stay for one more night before heading back to Hyrule. I don't think there would be much harm in that." Zukto said. The trio began the trip back to the Firean village, but this time the journey was a little livelier than before. When they finally arrived at the village, they admitted to being much more tired than they realized. They got two rooms at the Inn again to get rest for tomorrow. While they were getting comfortable, the village Elder appeared. He talked with Zelda in his native tongue for a bit before giving something to her. She responded, and the Elder looked quite pleased. Just as soon as he appeared, he left.

"What was that about?" Zukto asked.

"He gave us the Crest of Firean. It is a legendary symbol of prestige in this land. The fact that he gave it to us underscores the importance of our mission." Zelda explained.

"Well, I don't think anyone can deny that we deserve it." Kyoshiro said nonchalantly.

"Anyway, good night." Zelda said abruptly. She disappeared into her own room. Zukto watched her go without saying anything.

"She has a point. Let's get some sleep." Zukto said to Kyoshiro after a moment's silence.

The heroes began their journey home early the next day. Things seemed less tense between Zukto and Kyoshiro, who were joking and sharing stories. Zelda, on the other hand, was silent. She was concerned about meeting her father, worried that they did not know anything about their enemy, and she was bothered that she could not recall having read anything about the current situation.

_I have so many books, and yet the name Kkladekk means nothing to me. Why have I not seen his name before…?_ She thought with frustration.

"What do you think, Azera?" Zukto asked. His question abruptly broke Zelda's train of thought.

"About what? I apologize, but I have been busy contemplating some very important matters." She replied. Kyoshiro burst out laughing.

"Ha, she wasn't even paying attention to you!" Kyo mocked. Zukto looked unaffected.

"Well, if you won't listen then I don't want to repeat myself."

"I do not blame you for feeling that way." Was all Zelda said, before returning to her thoughts. Zukto was a bit taken aback that his plan to make her curious and join the conversation failed.

"Oh well. We don't need her opinion anyway." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"Quit being ridiculous." Zukto replied tersely. The rest of the trip back was awkwardly silent for Zukto and Kyoshiro. Zukto really wanted to talk with Azera, but did not know how to make her engage. Kyoshiro was used to silence, since normally he worked alone, but he was a little put off that Zukto kept telling him off. He did not care one way or the other whether Azera was a part of the conversation or not, but he was starting to get bored.

When the group reached their point of entry into Firean, Zelda finally spoke.

"Goddesses of Power, Wisdom, and Courage; please return us to Hyrule!" After she finished speaking, the three were bathed in mystical light. Their bodies magically dissolved from the Firean landscape.

The Goddesses were waiting for Zelda, Zukto, and Kyoshiro in the Temple when they arrived.

"You made it back! So, do you have the Fire Scythe from Firean's Temple?" Goddess Din asked as she approached Zukto.

"Goddess Din, I present to you the Fire Scythe from Firean." Zukto pulled out the Scythe and bowed slightly. Din inspected it quickly and appeared very pleased.

"You three are off to a great start I think! You will have this entire situation dealt with in no time. I am nothing but confident now!"

"Thank you Goddesses… but what do we need to do next?" Zukto asked.

"Hm, right, I need to send you somewhere else now. Let us see… I think you need to head to Gerudo Valley next. Of course Zukto, you know all about the Valley. I know that in those ancient sands, a temple sleeps. What you seek lies within the temple." She explained. The three nodded to show they understood.

"Goddesses, we shall return with the next item." Zukto declared. With that, the group left that section of the Temple and entered the Temple of Time proper. Zelda decided that she could not put it off any longer.

"Excuse me, now that we have recovered the first artifact and we know the location of the second one, the King, His Royal Highness Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, wishes to have an audience with you. He wants to know everything we have done up to this point, and he wants to know what we plan on doing in the future. In short, he requests a report about our journey." Zelda explained. Zukto nodded.

"This is a matter that could affect the entire Kingdom, so I understand. I think meeting with the King is not unreasonable. We might as well go now." Zukto led the way to the Castle. Even though he had only been to the Castle once before, everything about it stuck out in his mind. It was one of the most impressive structures he had ever seen. Zelda lagged behind slightly; she was nervous and was hoping that if she stalled, she could come up with some sort of plan.

When they entered the Castle, Zelda approached a guard and began talking with him quietly. He motioned to Zukto and Kyoshiro to follow him. When they were busy, Zelda slipped off down a separate hallway.

The King rose to his feet when Zukto and Kyoshiro entered the Court Room.

"Are you the two heroes I have heard about; the heroes hand-picked by the Goddesses themselves?" King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule's powerful voice carried across the room easily, even when he spoke quietly. Zukto and Kyoshiro kneeled respectfully.

"Yes, my King. My name is Zukto. I come from a distant land, but when I arrived in Hyrule many years ago I became the pupil of the Great Sage of Spirit, Nabooru."

"Well met, Zukto. And you, my son?" Daphnes inquired of Kyoshiro.

"Sire, my name is Kyoshiro. I am a local bounty hunter. I find rogues and law breakers and help bring them to justice. I help to defend your Fair Kingdom."

"Ah, yes. I have heard of you. Know this, Zukto and Kyoshiro: your deeds do not go unrewarded. I wish to knight both of you. Effective immediately, you are Knights of Hyrule. You may stay here at the Castle whenever your travels bring you nearby. My resources, should you have need of them, are yours to command. Your mission is of great interest to the security of my Kingdom. That is why I find it appropriate to aide you in any way I can. If you could though, please divulge me with the details of your journey thus far."

The King listened closely and silently as Zukto began to explain, but something was bothering him as he listened. He questioned Zukto when he finished his report.

"Zukto, who is 'Azera?'"

"The female who travels with us, Your Majesty."

"… What is her race?"

"Sheikah."

"… Zukto, and Kyoshiro, I am afraid you have been deceived." The King summoned a guard to his side, whispered something to the man, and sent the guard away.

"If you would, please sit for a moment. I need to do some damage control." The King said. Zukto and Kyoshiro were a bit uneasy. They stared at each other, hoping the other one understood what was going on. Finally, the cloaked figure entered the Court Room with the guard.

"I did not realize the extent to which you lied to these two." The King began. Zelda flinched.

_Great, it is too late now to stop it…_

"Why do you not answer?" The King demanded.

"The truth… the truth will put them in danger." Zelda responded.

"Lying to them puts **YOU** at risk. Stop this nonsense this instant, Princess Zelda!" The King yelled. Zukto and Kyoshiro were stunned; both because of the King's anger, and the fact that he called Azera 'Princess.'"

"I order you to reveal your face." The King stated.

"But—"

"Silence, child! Do as I say!"

Zelda sighed. She knew that trying to talk to him further about the issue was hopeless, so she gave in.

"Zukto… Kyoshiro… there is a reason… why I always hid my face… and this is why." Zelda explained with a quivering voice. She was really worried how they would react. But it was too late to stop anything; she raised her hands to her face and pushed the hood back that had been hiding her for so long. Again, Zukto and Kyoshiro were speechless. But Kyoshiro recovered first.

"That's a badass scar." He observed. Zelda was taken aback by Kyoshiro's comment.

"Um, thank you, I guess..." She responded awkwardly. Zukto still had not recovered his ability to speak. Instead, he approached Zelda. When he was mere inches in front of her, he looked her squarely in the eyes. She stared back for a moment, but got really uncomfortable. She did not know what to do with her arms and she did not like it when people stared at her. She also wondered why her creepy red eyes were not scaring Zukto. She looked down at the ground.

"… Princess." Zukto finally said. When Zelda looked back at him, he was kneeling before her.

"I'm sorry for not knowing who you were. I have not treated you with the respect that your station deserves. Please, forgive me."

"S-stand up Zukto. You are making a fool out of yourself." Zelda muttered.

"Zukto and Kyoshiro, as my Knights, you are bound to defend your Princess, my daughter, with your very lives. Do you accept your mission?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Kyoshiro and Zukto exclaimed in unison. Satisfied, the King dismissed the group. Zelda practically ran out of the room, but Kyoshiro ran faster than her to cut her off.

"Princess, why are you leaving?" He asked.

"I… I need to be alone." She muttered, not looking at him.

"Princess." Zukto started.

"What is it, Zukto?" Zelda sighed, turning to look at him.

"Well, I would… kind of like to know why you lied to us." He requested. Zelda sighed again.

"Come. We can talk somewhere more private." Zelda led the way to one of the many studies in the Castle. A fire was gently crackling in the fireplace.

"Sit." Zelda motioned to the many chairs situated throughout the room. Kyoshiro sat down right away in a chair that he thought would be most comfortable. Zukto did not budge, however. Zelda looked at him.

"You want to stand the whole time?" She asked.

"You're still standing, Your Highness." He observed. Zelda sighed, but was not in the mood to argue. She sat down. Zukto only sat down after she did.

"First off, please stop treating me like that. You do not need to kneel, nor bow, you do not need to address me by my title, and you do not—" She started.

"What were you going to tell us about hiding your identity, Princess Zelda?" Zukto asked, cutting her off. Zelda fell silent for a moment.

"… You can see my face. That is why I did not tell you who I was."

"Wait, but what does that have to do with anything?" Zukto asked. Zelda was getting frustrated.

"It has everything to do with it! Had I told you, 'I am the Princess of Hyrule,' you would have asked me for proof! No Princess in the Royal Family has ever had red eyes and black hair because those traits simply do not exist in our blood line. As you and Kyoshiro correctly mentioned earlier, red eyes are not even a Hylian trait to begin with. It goes without saying that all Royal Family members are Hylian. And for the record, no, I am not manipulating my appearance with magic. This is simply what I look like."

"You know, you don't even look like your Father at all." Kyoshiro observed. Zukto found himself wondering if the comment, even if it was completely true, was a little rude. Zelda shrugged.

"… And what about your scar?" Zukto asked. Zelda's face went pale suddenly. She did not say anything, and she was not looking at anything except the ground.

"… Princess?" Zukto asked.

"I… well you see…" She started. She could not even make a complete thought.

"Princess, is something wrong?"

"N-no… nothing… I am sorry… Ganondorf did this to my face." Zelda finally said, almost whispering. She raised a hand to her face and pressed it against her scar. She looked terrible.

_Well, this explains her curiosity about Ganondorf earlier. I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to pay him back somehow. Oh, but her Father probably wouldn't like to hear about that story if I'm supposed to be protecting her… note to self; don't let the Princess wander off._ Zukto thought.

"If you don't mind my asking, why did Ganondorf do that to you?" Zukto continued.

"He attacked me. I do not know why." Zelda lied.

"Ganondorf just randomly saw you and attacked you for no reason?" Zukto questioned.

"… I cannot talk about this anymore." Zelda responded, looking overwhelmed with grief.

"… Princess Zelda, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize talking about it was so hard for you." Zukto stood up and made for the door to leave. He motioned at Kyoshiro to follow. They left without saying anything. But Kyoshiro started up the conversation after Zukto shut the door behind them.

"So what was that all about?"

"I don't know, but I guess we just have to wait. It took a while before we found out her identity, so now we'll have to wait for this to come to light. I suspect this situation with Ganondorf is a lot more complicated than she's letting on. If it was _really_ true that he simply attacked her, she would be angry instead of upset. Maybe Ganondorf did something which caused her to be angry. In her anger she attacked him, but clearly Ganondorf's magical power exceeds her own if he was able to do that to her face." Zukto explained.

"Well, maybe if she wants to fight Ganondorf again I can lend her a hand." Kyoshiro pondered. Zukto glanced at the door that Zelda was behind.

_Princess, you need to trust us…_

Zelda had not moved from the spot Zukto and Kyoshiro left her in. She was doubled over in her chair; face buried in her hands. She started to cry softly.

_Mom… Dad… I'm sorry I couldn't avenge you… I feel so useless!_ She thought, with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

_That's right, my Dear… you have every right to feel angry right now. _A voice resounded. Zelda sat straight up and looked around.

"Who is there? Answer me!"

_I have been here the entire time, watching over you. Don't worry; we'll speak again very soon. _

"Wait! Who… are you?" Zelda asked the empty room. There was no response.

Zukto and Kyoshiro were hungry, so they asked a guard where they could get something to eat in the Castle. Zukto explained that he and Kyoshiro were Knights working for the King, but since it was a decision made only this morning almost no one knew about it. Additionally, the King was busy with official business so he could not verify for the guard.

"Do you have any official statement from the King?"

"No."

"How about proof of your connection to the Royal Family?"

"No…"

"Well, then how do I know you're—" The guard began.

"Those two are with me. They are to have access to whatever they want." Zelda explained as she suddenly appeared in the hallway. She walked up to the guard and her partners. Zukto smiled when he heard her voice.

"Princess! Yes, of course. This way." The guard signaled Kyoshiro and Zukto to follow him. Zukto motioned at Zelda to follow him. She stood still for a moment, but decided to follow them. Zukto and Kyoshiro got something to eat when they were situated in a dining hall. Zelda said she was not hungry, but she still sat with them. While they were waiting for their orders to be prepared, Zukto went back on the offensive.

"Will you promise to tell me everything about what happened to you before we met you, Princess?" Zukto requested.

"Stop calling me that."

"Your word, Princess?" Zukto insisted. She sighed.

"Fine, whatever." She muttered tersely, staring off into the distance. She had no energy to argue.

Kyoshiro looked smug about something.

"What's up with you?" Zukto asked.

"We're Knights of Hyrule! And we're heroes picked by the Goddesses; to top it all off, we get to escort the Princess of Hyrule everywhere. This is the life!" Kyoshiro beamed. Zelda frowned, but remained silent. Zukto suspected she was frowning at Kyo's comment, and not something she was thinking about. He did not blame her; Kyo had a tendency to be insensitive.

_Hm, you know, I've never seen the Princess smile… I bet it is lovely._ Zukto thought. He smiled in his mind at the thought. He did not want anyone asking him about why he was smiling, so his face remained blank.

"… Princess, is your connection to Kakariko real, or was that a story too?" He suddenly asked.

"Everything I have ever said about Kakariko is absolutely true."

"I see. So even if you are not a Sheikah by blood… you are one in spirit."

"I suppose you could say that. I owe Master Impa everything, after all. She was there when…" The Princess trailed off, obviously preoccupied with her memories. Zukto waited with anticipation for her to finish her thoughts out loud, but she did not.

"Anyway, do not take too long to eat. We need to leave as soon as possible because even on horseback, getting to Gerudo Valley will take a while. I shall wait for you two." With that, Zelda excused herself from the room. Zukto and Kyoshiro ate in silence.

Zukto found the Princess after he finished eating. She was hiding beneath her hood again, and she was studying a book.

"Princess, we are ready." He said.

"Ah, Zukto. Horses are waiting for us outside."

"Why are you—" Zukto started to ask. Zelda had an idea of what he wanted to ask.

"I do not want to scare anyone in Castle Town. Let us go." She replied, cutting him off. Zelda exited the Castle, but Zukto lagged behind because he was waiting for Kyoshiro to catch up.

"Thanks for waiting! I like that you're not utterly impatient like _she_ is." Kyoshiro explained.

"You know, you need to be a little more accepting of the differences between people. Her life has been very different compared to yours or mine. You cannot reasonably expect her to act as you do." Zukto lectured.

"Oh Dear Goddesses… I get it already. You sound like my mom." Kyoshiro sighed exasperatedly as he followed the Princess outside.

When Zukto left the Castle and approached his teammates, Zelda was already neatly mounted on her horse. Zukto took a moment to study her. If she was not wearing her cloak, which obscured everything about her, Zukto imagined her to be picturesque. Her posture was perfect. He did not know how long her hair was, but he imagined it shining in the sunlight, and the wind blowing through it…

"Zukto, is your brain working? We need to leave." Zelda suddenly reminded him, interrupting his daydreaming.

"R-right." He muttered; a little embarrassed. He mounted his horse and looked at his teammates.

"Ready?" Zelda asked. The two males nodded. Zelda nudged her horse's sides with her legs, and the horse energetically trotted off. Zukto and Kyoshiro followed closely behind her. As the trio passed through Castle Town, people stopped and stared. Some of them whispered to one another. Kyoshiro imagined that he was now a well-renowned Knight and everyone was marveling at the sight of him.

_That's right. They know who keeps them safe at night._ He thought, smiling.

As soon as they left Castle Town and crossed the drawbridge, Zelda encouraged her horse to move faster. The horse responded to her satisfaction; it did not break into a full-out gallop, but it moved quickly across the uneven hills of Hyrule Field. Kyoshiro and Zukto encouraged their horses to keep up. For a while, the trip elapsed in silence. Everyone was occupied with his or her own thoughts.

The weather was very pleasant. The sun was not yet at its peak height, and it was not too hot. A light breeze ruffled the tips of the grass, and the leaves of the trees. Soon enough, the horses began stopping every once in a while to graze. No one raised any objections to this because the Desert was not exactly the best location for grazing. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kyoshiro broke the silence.

"So… uh, you said you trained in the Desert right? What's it like? I've never been that far before." Zukto looked momentarily intrigued by Kyoshiro's question. He could not quite figure out if it was genuine curiosity on Kyo's behalf, or if he was just bored and looking for something to do. Regardless, he was appreciative of the end of the eerie silence that had consumed the group.

"Well, for starters, it is utterly hot and dry. When the wind blows, and it blows fairly often mind you, sand flies everywhere. The sun reaches everything, and there are no trees that offer shade." Zukto explained. While what he said was very true, he also wanted to see if he could freak out Kyoshiro. It worked.

"All of that sounded awful." Kyo groaned.

"It doesn't end there. If you pass the Fortress and enter the Desert proper, there is a great risk of hallucinating. Something about the heat and the sand and your desperation; your mind plays tricks on you."

"Wait; remind me why I'm with you two again…" Kyoshiro muttered, hopefully jokingly.

"Well hey, as you know, I've trained and lived here… I'll make sure to keep you away from the _really_ dangerous places." Zukto offered, mockingly.

"Thanks for your concern." Kyoshiro responded, with sarcasm to match Zukto's.

"Well you know Kyoshiro, Zukto was saving the best for last. Have you not heard of the legendary tribe of Gerudo women who live near the Desert?" Zelda suddenly asked. Kyoshiro's eyes widened at the news. Zukto was a little shocked at her unexpected contribution, but he welcomed it.

"Tribe of ladies? You have my interest." Kyoshiro stated. Zelda shook her head at his response. But she could not say that his eagerness was a huge surprise for her. She actually expected it.

"You know, the Princess is right to bring up the tribe of Gerudo women. They are the only ones to settle the area. But Kyo… a word of caution; they're a wily bunch of ladies. They aren't used to men, or outsiders for that matter."

"I can handle them. No sweat." Kyoshiro declared. While the two of them were talking animatedly, Zelda removed her hood from her head and pulled her long, black hair out of her cloak. It flowed gracefully behind her, like a banner, as her horse trotted along. She smiled slightly as she felt the warm sun on her face and the breeze that played with her hair. Zukto glanced back at her just then, and felt his heart skip a beat.

… _She is beautiful…_ He found himself thinking. But the thought seemed a little bittersweet. She was so close to him, and yet it was like she was not even sharing the same space or air as them. She was untouchable.

_Well… no harm in admiring her from afar… Right?_

"Let us race!" Zelda suddenly suggested, displaying an unusual amount of energy. She squeezed her horse's sides with her legs; the animal reacted by speeding past Zukto and Kyoshiro.

"Wait a second, you're cheating!" Kyoshiro cried as he tried to catch up with her. Zukto merely laughed, and began pursuing his teammates. Zelda was the first one to reach the entrance to the Valley; Kyoshiro came in dead last.

"Ha! I win!" Zelda declared triumphantly.

"I can't believe you cut me off." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Come now, be a good sport about it Kyo!" Zukto teased. He snuck a glance at the Princess; she was practically glowing with pride in her victory. The sun illuminated her features tenfold for Zukto. Zukto thought that it was suddenly harder to breathe for some reason.

"Princess… you're… you're great at handling horses." Zukto observed, tripping over his tongue in a desperate effort to talk to her.

"I had lessons when I was young." She replied, shrugging.

_What __**isn't**__ she good at?_

"Well, let us go. We still have a little further to go, correct?" Zelda encouraged her horse onward.

Upon entering the Valley, they found an active stream. Zelda's horse eagerly approached to drink. Zelda encouragingly pet her equine friend while she waited. After it finished, Zelda nudged her horse further to make room for Zukto's and Kyoshiro's mounts. When Zukto's horse finished, he looked around for Zelda. She was a little further ahead. It seemed like her horse was not moving, but he was not sure. He caught up with her.

"Is something wrong?"

"… The bridge is out." Zelda observed, looking down into the chasm. Zukto, slightly confused, inspected the bridge. To his horror, she was right. Now what?

"… Give me some space for a minute, okay?" Zelda asked. Zukto absentmindedly obeyed. Then the realization of what she was about to do roused him back to attention rather painfully.

"Princess, please don't do it! Your Father will have my head!" Zukto pleaded.

"My Father can rot in the Kakariko Graveyard for all I care!" Zelda yelled vehemently as she kicked her horse. The horse launched up on its hind legs, kicked at the air with its front hooves, then charged straight forward towards the chasm with powerful strides. As it covered the last bit of solid ground, its hindquarters tightened up like springs and released. Just like that, the horse was soaring through the air. Seamlessly, it landed on the other side of the chasm. Zukto watched without breathing the whole time, but sighed with relief when he knew Zelda was safe.

Again, she looked triumphant.

"… Princess, you better not go anywhere because I'm coming right behind you!" Zukto yelled as he urged his horse to imitate Zelda's. In moments, Zukto joined Zelda on the other side of the chasm. Zelda trotted her horse up to Zukto's.

"Not bad." Zelda said. Zukto appreciated the compliment, but she looked rather smug. Zukto figured she was still mentally reveling in her stunt riding.

"Hey, what are you, a Fire Slug? Come on! We have things to do!" Zelda yelled across the chasm at Kyoshiro, who still had not moved.

"Yeah, yeah, just… give me a second… I'll go when I'm good and ready…" Kyoshiro responded, partially grumbling. Eventually, Kyoshiro and his horse made it across the chasm in one piece… physically. Kyoshiro looked terrified for his life after his horse made the jump. Zukto and Zelda laughed together when they saw his face. But Zukto abruptly stopped his laughter because he realized he had never heard Zelda laugh before. No trace of her serious demeanor could be detected in her laughter. It was clear and feminine. Zukto felt lucky to have been able to hear it. Without realizing it, Zukto began staring at Zelda again with an affectionate smile. She stopped laughing shortly after realizing she was the only one enjoying herself. She looked mortified at Zukto and Kyoshiro, who were not saying anything. And she knew that Zukto was staring at her. Her face turned a deep shade of red from embarrassment.

"Ugh, jerks!" She suddenly cried as she pulled her hood up to hide her face again and she sped off on her horse.

"Wait, Princess, you don't know your way around here! Wait up!" Zukto pleaded as he urged his horse to catch up. Kyoshiro was in no hurry to race, or jump cliffs, or play any kind of games while horseback riding. He merely encouraged his horse to trot after the other two.

Soon, Zukto and Zelda reached the Gerudo Fortress. A Gerudo guard recognized Zukto right away, and started yelling to everyone within earshot that Zukto had returned. Before Zukto and Zelda knew what was going on, they were surrounded by Gerudo women. They were all chatting and yelling excitedly to see Zukto again. Kyoshiro and his horse finally joined the party, though Zukto and Zelda were too occupied to acknowledge him.

"You're back! Let's drink together tonight to celebrate, eh?" Nelona suggested, grinning widely. Zukto rolled his eyes. She would never change.

"Zukto…! You're back. I am so relieved…" Reta sighed happily. She was still a little put off about Zukto's sudden departure, but was willing to forgive him. Zukto was about to respond to her, but the group of Gerudo women parted suddenly to reveal Nabooru.

"Master Nabooru!" Zukto exclaimed, excitedly dismounting his horse.

"Back so soon, my pupil?" She mused.

"Master, my travels have brought me back to these sands because the Goddesses know of an ancient weapon hidden here. Will you please share anything you might know?" He explained.

"Won't you please introduce your guests?" Nabooru requested, eyeing Kyoshiro and the cloaked figure; they were still on their horses.

"R-right, I apologize. Everyone, over there is Kyoshiro. He is a Hylian from the mainland who primarily works as a bounty hunter. He finds people who break and evade the law. Essentially, he helps the local guards with controlling crime." Zukto explained. As he did, Kyoshiro dismounted and winked at some Gerudo ladies. They chuckled and whispered amongst themselves a bit.

"And this… this is Her Highness… Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule." Zukto said reverently. As she was introduced, Zelda removed the hood from her face and dismounted her horse. Zukto stared at her again, which his friend Reta noticed. She mentally panicked.

"Dear Goddesses, you are the Princess? Your Majesty, welcome." Nabooru respectfully bowed before Zelda. Some of the other Gerudo women looked confused. Others whispered.

"… Looks like… seriously dark magic…"

"… Cursed…"

"Zukto… dangerous company…"

Even without the trademark Hylian ears, Zukto heard snatches of conversation. It was making him feel extremely uncomfortable and a little embarrassed. He thought the Gerudo were being a little rude.

"Please, Sage Nabooru, do not humble yourself before me. I am the one who should bow before you; I have heard so many great things about you from my Master. It is an honor to finally talk to you in person." Zelda replied sincerely. Either she did not hear some of the things said about her, or she was ignoring it.

"Your Majesty, let us go into the Fortress. We can continue our conversation when you are comfortable." Zukto filed in closely to Zelda as they headed into the Fortress. Nabooru threw a disapproving look over her shoulder at her girls when Zelda was not looking; a few of them looked terrified. Some of the guards grabbed the horses and tied them up.

After Nabooru caught up with Zukto and Zelda, she led the rest of the way to her office.

"You know, Princess Zelda, not a single Royal Family member has visited this Valley in likely a century. Your being here… it feels like a good sign to me." Nabooru began.

"A good sign, Sage Nabooru?" Zelda questioned.

"I feel like there is an overall poor conception of the Gerudo people. I've heard that a lot of people consider us nothing but a gang of thieves. But you are here now, and can observe us. Can you please bring back your observations of us to the mainland? I know it is a lofty goal, but I do not want the Gerudo to be considered uncivilized or unable to contribute to the well-being of the Kingdom."

"Your wish is my command, Honorable Sage. To start, when I am Queen, I want you to send me a Gerudo ambassador. She will be well taken care of; I can promise you that." Zelda said.

_Queen…_ It was a weird thought for Zukto that Zelda would one day be Queen. But to be Queen, she needed a King… Zukto tried not to think of who she might end up with.

"Hm, no need to go out of your way Princess; my ambassador is right here." Nabooru nodded in Zukto's direction and smiled mischievously. The idea of being a Gerudo ambassador for Hyrule made Zukto's heart skip a beat.

_I'm a Knight and an ambassador for the Gerudo? Does this mean I can see Zelda everyday, even after this adventure is over?_

"Ah, yes. I should have figured that you would pick him." Zelda mused.

"I worry about my girls too much; I don't want them to leave." Nabooru explained.

"Hear that Zukto? She does not worry about you." Zelda mocked.

"Ha, that's because there is no need to worry about me." Zukto explained confidently.

"We shall see." Zelda said, somewhat ominously. Was she joking? Zukto was actually considering being afraid. He was also wondering if he was only imagining that her voice suddenly changed.

"Well, er, Master Nabooru, about that weapon…" Zukto started, a bit uneasy.

"Of course, of course. I will escort you there myself, but it is already so late. Can it wait until tomorrow? You three…" Nabooru paused and looked carefully at Zelda when she said "you three."

"… Need rest." She finished after a brief moment. Zukto could not properly explain to himself the look Master Nabooru had on her face. Was it fear?

"Right, I couldn't agree more!" Kyoshiro suddenly piped up. Zukto flinched a little due to surprise. He totally forgot about Kyoshiro.

"Hey, I have a house here. Why don't you rest at my place?" Zukto offered Kyoshiro. Kyo nodded eagerly.

"We're taking off, Master. Can you please take care of Zelda?" Zukto asked, a little apologetically.

"Of course. I don't want you to get any ideas." Nabooru taunted. Zukto felt himself reddening a little, but he did not respond. Everyone parted ways after saying their goodbyes. Zukto stole one last glance at Zelda; something seemed off to him, but he did not know what.

When Zukto and Kyoshiro arrived at Zukto's house, Kyoshiro got a tour.

"Hey, what's that up there?" Kyoshiro asked, pointing at the symbol on the ceiling.

"That is the symbol of the Spirit Sage and the Temple. It proves my affiliation with Master Nabooru."

"Hm, pretty cool…" Kyoshiro muttered. He unsheathed his long sword and sat down. It appeared to Zukto that Kyo was studying his blade, possibly for damage.

"Everything okay over there?" Zukto asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. To be honest, we did not actually fight that much last time." Kyo explained. By "last time," Zukto assumed Kyoshiro meant the first Temple they entered in Firean. And he was right; most of the fighting they did was against the large dragon at the end.

"Actually, speaking of that…" Kyo started.

"Yeah?"

"Want to spar with me? I need the exercise and want to be in prime shape for tomorrow." Kyo explained, grinning. He seemed really eager.

"Sure. If you follow me, we can use the Gerudo Training Grounds facilities to practice. I think it will do both of us some good." Zukto explained. They wasted no time in heading out.

Nabooru brought Zelda to the best guest room she had available. She explained where everything was.

"Don't hesitate to find me in case something happens." Nabooru said. Zelda merely nodded silently. Nabooru was not sure how to react; the Princess _seemed_ engaged earlier, but now it seemed like she was tuning everything out. Her gaze was different too.

"… Princess, I am sorry for prying, but about that scar…" Nabooru began.

"What about it?!" Zelda suddenly yelled, angrily. Nabooru flinched. She did not expect that reaction.

"I apologize, Princess. Please come find me if you need something." Nabooru apologized, and decided to leave Zelda alone. Though she was unsure how wise that decision was.

Zelda did not move for a while. But as soon as she was sure Nabooru was really gone, she immediately left the Fortress.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for letting _me_ take over for once. Ahh, this feels so great to stretch my legs after so long!" Zelda twirled around a bit, almost childlike. When she was finished, she studied the area around the Fortress. She noticed that a large, heavy gate was shut. She was immediately interested in what was beyond the gate. But most gates were controlled remotely. She spotted a tower near the gate. She closed her eyes and focused on the tower.

"Ah, I see you there… well, no one will notice if I just go for a little walk…" She muttered to herself as she opened her eyes again. She focused her mind on the lever she saw in the tower, and flipped it using her magic. The gate opened!

"I love my host. Our powers complement each other so very well!" She chuckled a bit, and ran off past the gate.

After a while, a Gerudo guard requested an audience with Nabooru.

"Is everything okay?" Nabooru asked.

"Well, um… the gate was opened." She stumbled.

"The gate? Why? How do you know?"

"Well, whoever opened it did not shut it after they opened it."

"Have you asked around? Who opened it?"

"We have no idea. Everyone I know has either been resting or hanging out. No one, as far as I can tell, was manning the gate." After the guard was finished explaining, Nabooru sat there for a moment, puzzled.

"… Follow me. Now." Nabooru suddenly demanded. The guard was a little worried, but she was sure Nabooru's change of attitude was not because of any failure on her part. The two ran through the Fortress to where Nabooru left Zelda. Her suspicions were confirmed; Zelda was not there.

"Has anyone seen the Princess? Go ask everyone you can find to search for her. Leave a couple of ladies here to keep an eye out… but I fear the Princess is the one who opened the gate and left." Nabooru ran off to find Zelda before it was too late.

_Should I tell Zukto about this? I just don't know… _

After a few hours, a tired Zukto and Kyoshiro agreed to call it quits for the night.

"You know, for just an archer, you're pretty good." Kyoshiro said between his heavy breathing. He rubbed his sweaty forehead with his arm.

"Yeah? Well, for a guy who carries a ridiculously large weapon you can move pretty fast." Zukto replied. Zukto reached out a hand. Kyoshiro looked at it a moment before grinning.

"For the most part, I like you." Kyoshiro declared.

"Yeah? Good to hear it." Zukto mused.

"Let's pass out. I'm tired." Kyoshiro yawned.

"I don't blame you." The two left the Gerudo Training Grounds. Once outside, Zukto looked around. The sun had set now entirely; the Valley was nearly too dark to navigate without a torch. He grabbed one for good measure, and lit it. When he did, he noticed a guard pacing around oddly.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Zukto asked.

"… Zukto!? Where in Hyrule have you been?!"

"Uh, er, Kyo and I were training…" Zukto was suddenly worried if he had done something wrong.

"Training? There's no time for that! Not when the Princess is missing!"

"… Wait. Hold on a second. The _Princess_ is _missing_? Are you sure about that?!" Zukto felt like a rock just dropped into his stomach.

"Master Nabooru is. She took a small team a few hours ago into the Desert to look for her. Things… don't seem too good right now." The girl said gravely. Zukto was horrified. He was going to explain to Zelda and Kyo how to safely travel through the Gerudo Desert, but he assumed he would do it when the three of them traveled together. He did not guess that Zelda would just wander off into the unknown by herself, although he immediately felt stupid for that because it seemed like something she did fairly often.

"… Who let her past the gate?" Zukto suddenly asked.

"… That's the thing; nobody did… Master thinks she let herself past the gate."

"… Let me and Kyoshiro through the gate. Now." Zukto sounded scary. The guard immediately complied.

"Kyoshiro, we HAVE to find the Princess. It's our job as Knights."

"You don't have to remind me twice!"

"Good. Now, this is really, really important… you have to follow me. Understand? Do not wander off _anywhere_. I am really, really serious about this." Zukto felt like he could not explain himself well enough right now. He was stressed out, and afraid…

"Chill man. I got your back. Literally. Lead the way." Kyoshiro responded. Zukto felt a little better.

"Oh yeah, take these." Zukto handed Kyoshiro some goggles. Kyoshiro looked at them funny, but Zukto reassured him that they would help immensely with navigating through the Desert.


	9. 8 Brothers and Split Personalities

A/N: Was that intense or whaaat?

A/N: Read and review! Please? :3

The two heroes charged into the Desert in search of Zelda.

"Now, Kyoshiro, this is _really_ important… there are posts erected throughout the Desert. The posts have large, red cloth tied to them. If you see such a post, you _must_ walk towards it. They mark the only safe path through the Desert. Just to be safe, when you approach the post, reach out your hand and touch it. That way, you can check to make sure that the post is real and not a hallucination." Zukto explained. Kyoshiro concentrated to make sure he understood everything.

"But wait a second; it is really dark right now. And I think it might even get darker. How the hell can you see anything?" Kyoshiro asked.

"… Granted, you have a point… I guess right now, I'm banking on the fact that I spent so much time going back and forth through this part of the Desert." Zukto replied.

"So I have to rely on your memory? Well… if there is no other way… I'm still behind you." Kyoshiro declared. Zukto felt like a thousand rupees.

"Excellent! Come, this way!"

Further ahead in the Desert, Nabooru gathered her team together.

"I saw no one the entire time we searched; what about you?" She asked. A lot of guards muttered together.

"I don't think we saw anyone, Master Nabooru." One guard replied apologetically.

"Well… ruling out the fact that the Princess might be… well, ruling out that fact, we still have somewhere to look." Nabooru skipped over the unpleasant part. She knew that Zukto would never hear of it. Some of the guards nodded in agreement.

"I've worked you really hard today, and I apologize. If half of you want to head home now, I will allow it. The half of you that remains with me will not have to stand guard or do other work tomorrow as my way of thanking you for your efforts." Nabooru explained. The girls immediately thanked Nabooru, and split into two smaller groups. Some of them made their way back home. Nelona was one of the girls who remained with Nabooru.

… _Where the hell is Zukto? I have not seen him for hours. He should be out here with us._ Nelona frowned.

As Zukto and Kyoshiro made progress through the Desert, they met with the group of Gerudo guards heading home.

"Ah, Zukto, there you are! I was wondering if we were going to have to start looking for _you_ next." One Gerudo joked.

"Y-yeah… I'm sorry… my friend and I got caught up in our training, and we didn't find out until a while ago that the Princess went into the Desert by herself."

"Oh yeah; I might as well explain now. Master Nabooru is pretty sure that your friend is nowhere in this part of the Desert. Master suspects that the girl found her way to the Desert Colossus. Further, we were told that half of the group is allowed to rest. That's why some of us are going home. Trust us; there is still a group out there looking for your friend. Let us know how everything goes!" As the guard finished explaining, she waved and took off to catch up with the other guards.

"… The Desert Colossus…" Zukto muttered.

"Is anything wrong?" Kyoshiro asked.

"No. Nothing's wrong, except the obvious of course. The Desert Colossus is where the Spirit Temple resides."

"… Maybe that's where our next weapon is?" Kyoshiro offered.

"I figured as much, but what bothers me is why Zelda felt the need to go there by _herself_. She did not even know her way through the Desert; or at least, that's what I assumed. As far as I know, she has never been here. I lived here for the last five years, so I can speak confidently about the fact that the Princess has not visited or spent time here." Even though Zukto was sure of himself, something was nagging at the back of his mind. But he was too busy to pursue it.

"Who knows what in the Goddesses' names she was thinking." Kyoshiro muttered.

"At any rate, we need to hurry. The sooner we find her, the better." Zukto sighed. Kyo nodded in agreement.

Nabooru and her small group of Gerudo guards stopped at the Oasis outside of the Spirit Temple to rest.

"If you see anything, let me know straight away." Nabooru requested. It went without saying, but the Gerudo nodded. Nabooru sat down on the ground, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. She began concentrating. Just as she started to get a feel for the different levels of magic power in the area, her concentration was destroyed by a single realization.

"G-girls…! G-Ganondorf is here!" Nabooru gasped. All of the guards tensed up.

"W-what do we do?"

"… I want you to go back to the Fortress immediately. You will be safest there. Please, do as I say." The small group of women looked at each other nervously. They knew how Nabooru felt about Ganondorf, which made them want to stay to support her, but they also knew what Ganondorf was capable of. In the end, they hesitantly obeyed Nabooru and left. They figured that it would be more important to support Nabooru in the long run; after all, no matter what Ganondorf did to Nabooru, he would not kill her. When she returned to the Fortress, she would expect her guards to be there for her.

Zukto and Kyoshiro, as they entered the Colossus, passed the second group of guards. Zukto looked curiously at them, but no one said anything. Finally, Nelona stopped and explained.

"Master is waiting for you ahead. You must speak with her personally; things are pretty serious, it seems. Keep your wits about you." She warned. Zukto and Kyoshiro exchanged glances after this somewhat cryptic message, but they wasted no time in finding Nabooru.

"Ah, Zukto, there you are. I would say better late than never, but now is not the time for joking around." Nabooru said gravely.

"Did… did something happen?" Zukto asked hesitantly.

"… Ganondorf is here. I am familiar enough with him that I can sense him when he is nearby."

"… What about… What about Zelda…?"

"I have not seen her. She is either right outside of the Temple, or perhaps she went in. But we need to get closer. Follow close behind me and be as silent as possible." Nabooru explained. Zukto and Kyoshiro obeyed. The whole time, Zukto was afraid his pounding heart would give them away.

_Ganondorf is here? Zelda got really upset when we tried talking about him earlier… what in Din's name happened between them? Did Zelda know he would be here? Is she… is she fighting him by herself…? Oh Goddesses, please keep her safe until I find her…_

They stopped at a large, stone archway that stood before the Spirit Temple. It was incredibly dark, so they could not see much. But Kyoshiro surprised everyone.

"… Whoah, whoah, you guys… I can hear someone speaking." He whispered. Zukto whirled around and stared at Kyoshiro expectantly.

"Well?! What do you hear? I don't hear anyone talking except us."

"Well, you don't have the Hylian ears, you know. But anyway, let me focus for a second…" Kyoshiro fell silent. Zukto practically held his breath in anticipation.

"… I can't hear _everything_, but it sounds like… a guy is really excited to meet someone for the first time." Kyoshiro explained.

"A guy? So someone _is_ here? Keep listening." Zukto prompted. Kyoshiro paused for a moment.

"… A female's voice now. She says that it has been too long since she could move about 'in this world.'"

"… Well, that is a little… odd… but go on."

"The guy is trying to make a deal with her. He says he needs her help."

"What is she saying?"

"She can't promise anything because her 'other half' is not willing to cooperate."

"… Other half…?"

"Don't look at me! Oh hey wait… there's a new voice. Also male."

"What is he saying?" Zukto waited for Kyo's response. Kyo fell unnaturally quiet.

"… Should we run for it?" Kyoshiro suddenly asked. Zukto did not like the sound of Kyo's question but he asked for an explanation anyway.

"Why?"

"They know we are here." Kyoshiro responded. Zukto had to admit that he was not terribly surprised.

"We have no reason to run. We will just explain that we are looking for a friend. And that is the truth. Maybe they can help us, even." Zukto explained. Nabooru agreed with Zukto on principle, but she was worried. She feared a confrontation.

Within a few moments, everyone could hear footsteps approaching. Nabooru tried to steady her breathing; it was Ganondorf. The aura of dark energy approaching was unmistakably his.

"Who goes there?" A deep voice questioned. Nabooru shivered; it was Ganondorf's voice. Zukto and Kyoshiro, however, were still ignorant to this fact.

"Excuse me, but my friends and I here are looking for someone. This person has been lost in the Desert for a while now. Maybe you can help us?" Zukto asked.

"Lost? In the Desert? Boy, your friend is likely dead." The male scoffed.

"Not likely." Zukto responded.

"… Nabooru, come here." The voice requested. Nabooru looked at Zukto pleadingly, before doing as the voice asked.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Why are you dragging around these two?"

"They came to the Fortress and started asking me some questions about the Temple here. I don't know why. I only answered them vaguely because I don't know their motives." Nabooru lied.

"And let me guess, this missing person is part of their group?"

"Yes. Since I know this Desert so well, I figured it was only natural that I help them."

"What does this missing person look like?"

"It is a woman. She has black hair and red eyes." Nabooru explained. Ganondorf fell silent.

"… I am sorry; I have not seen such a person." Ganondorf lied. Zukto had a feeling something was up. So he did the only thing he could think of.

"Zelda! It's me, Zukto!" He yelled as loud as he could. Ganondorf glared at Zukto, though it was too dark for anyone to see. Further from Zukto's group at the arch, a pair of people near the entrance to the Temple flinched. The man spoke first.

"… Zukto?! My brother? So he is here, then…" He seemed amazed. The woman still had not regained her composure.

"… Is something the matter?" The man asked. He approached the woman and laid a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, the woman sprung to life and tried to attack the man! He stumbled backwards, just barely avoiding the surprise attack.

"Whoah, calm down Princess. We were just having a discussion about a business proposition…" He explained.

"Get AWAY from me! I don't even know who you are!" Zelda yelled. Zukto felt relieved to finally hear her voice, but then he grew worried. Was she in danger? Without saying anything, he tore past Ganondorf in an effort to reach Zelda. Ganondorf was taken by surprise at first, but when he recovered he was unsure what to do. He finally decided to raise an arm and charge up a magic attack. He aimed at Kyoshiro.

"Do not move." He threatened. Kyoshiro obeyed. Nabooru felt terrible that she could not help Kyo. She had to continue to pretend that she was working for Ganondorf. But suddenly, she had an idea.

"My Lord, do not waste your time with him. Allow me to keep him occupied." She offered. Ganondorf stopped to consider the option.

"Very well. Do not let him move an inch." Ganondorf headed in the direction that Zukto ran in. When Ganondorf was far enough away, Nabooru hastily whispered to Kyo that Ganondorf was immensely powerful and that she was forced to obey him. Kyo nodded, but asked her if they could do anything to help Zukto and Zelda.

"Princess, I'm coming!" Zukto yelled. Zelda felt relieved.

"Whoever you are, you better back off. When Zukto gets here…" She warned. The man laughed.

"Zukto, my dear brother, come join me…!" He requested to the area at large. Zukto literally stopped in his tracks for a moment. Zelda did too.

_What in the… Zukto has a brother?_

_No… Kkladekk has the Princess?! Shoot!_ He ran even faster. Finally, he could see two figures standing across from one another in front of the Temple. He stopped when he could distinctly discern which figure was Zelda and which figure was his brother.

"Ah Zukto, it has been far too long… Although, I wonder… is it a mere coincidence that you and I have been finally reunited here?" The man asked, running a hand through his hair nonchalantly.

Kkladekk and Zukto, being brothers, shared a few similar physical characteristics with each other. Both had the same shade of brown hair, though Kkladekk's hair appeared to be in better shape than Zukto's. Their eyes were the same shape, and they were about the same height. But Zukto's build was more muscular than Kkladekk's.

"Kkladekk, why did you kidnap Zelda?"

"Kidnap? Oh no, my dear brother, you misunderstand. Your friend came to me of _her own free_ _will_." Kkladekk explained.

"That's a lie!"

"Oh yeah? Why don't you ask your friend yourself?" Kkladekk smirked. His voice was taunting.

"… Zelda… did you… come here by yourself?" Zukto slowly asked.

"Zukto, please, you have to believe me. I-I do not remember! I do not remember anything! I remember arriving at the Fortress, and I remember talking with Nabooru, but all of a sudden my memory blanks out after that. I have never seen this place before in my life; I do not know how I got here! Also, I do not know who this man is!" Zelda explained desperately. It was obvious that she was distressed; more so than she had ever been around Zukto before. Zukto believed her, but the fact that she could not remember the last several hours was extremely troubling for him.

Kkladekk remained silent throughout her explanation. The look on his face was a mixture of rage and amusement.

"Your performance is admirable Zelda, but I do not buy it." He said darkly. Just then, Ganondorf returned.

"Kkladekk, I am here. Need my help with these two?" He asked gruffly.

"What's wrong with her?" Kkladekk asked, pointing at Zelda. Ganondorf looked over at her.

"… She regained her control. The Goddess could not suppress the host any longer, it seems." Ganondorf explained. Kkladekk swore under his breath.

"Brother, this is entirely your fault. You awakened the host. I was just about to finish something _incredibly_ important. How in the name of Charcai do you plan on making it up to me?!" Kkladekk yelled.

"I owe you nothing. First and foremost, it is my job to protect Zelda. Everything else comes second." Zukto explained, getting mentally prepared to fight, even if it would be a battle against a family member. Zelda finally snapped out of her confusion due to Zukto's words. It would be better, in this scenario, to fight first and ask questions later. More footsteps could be heard, and suddenly Ganondorf grunted in pain.

"Why you—" He snapped. He was kneeling on the ground, holding his side. Blood was slowly trickling out of a wound and onto his hand.

"Finally, the group is back together!" Kyoshiro loudly declared as he sauntered up to take a place close to Zukto and Zelda. The three of them stared at Kkladekk expectantly, daring him to make a move.

"… I am not so stupid to pick a fight when I am clearly outnumbered. Ganondorf, we must leave now. I fear our business will have to be postponed." Kkladekk ran over to Ganondorf, and the two disappeared with a flourish of magical energy. Zelda collapsed to her knees.

"Princess!" Zukto ran over to Zelda and kneeled down to be level with her.

"… Was so… scared…" She muttered, burying her face in her hands.

"Shh, Princess, everything is going to be okay now…" Zukto said soothingly. Nabooru finally rejoined them.

"… We need to talk." She said. She sounded very serious.

"Here? Now? The Princess needs a break. Can't we get her back, and then—" Zukto began.

"Everyone, into the Temple _now_." Nabooru demanded. Kyoshiro did not object. Zukto nudged Zelda to stand up, but she either could not or did not want to. She remained on her knees. Zukto looked at Nabooru for help.

"You're a man, aren't you? Just pick her up already. Hurry up." Nabooru looked frustrated, but she said nothing further. She followed Kyoshiro into the Temple. Zukto looked a little flustered, but he took a deep breath and picked Zelda up off the ground. She did not fight against him. He stood still and held her in his arms for a moment, slightly worried that the entire situation was merely a dream he was having. He could barely tell that he was holding her; she seemed rather light. Then it occurred to him that she felt light even with her bulky cloak. It was almost as if the cloak and Zelda were inseparable.

"… Princess?"

"… Yes?" Zelda asked, a bit weakly.

"It… it will be easier for me to carry you if you wrap your arms around my neck." Zukto said. She complied, which stunned Zukto a bit.

"Y-yeah, that is easier already. Thanks. I promise we will get you somewhere safe to rest soon." Zukto explained, blushing. She did not say anything. He entered the Temple where Nabooru was waiting.

"It took you long enough." Nabooru sighed when she saw Zukto.

"… Master, what is going on? You are never this…"

"Zukto, I am sorry. But I have some information for you and it is serious. Listen. It involves all of you, but mostly the Princess."

"We're listening."

"Okay, well, let's start with what you know. What do you know about that scar on Zelda's face?"

"All she said was… Ganondorf is the reason she bears that scar on her face."

"Well, that's certainly an important part… but it's a little more serious than that. That scar is the sign of a _curse_. Ganondorf laid a curse on the Princess." Nabooru said. At first Zukto was too stunned to respond, but he suddenly remembered overhearing the conversation Zelda had with the Leader of the Firean tribe. He forgot all about hearing the word "cursed…" Back then, Zelda had written it off as the Temple being cursed. But now everything made sense.

"…I actually did overhear something like that before, but I did not understand it at the time." Zukto said finally.

"This was not… this was not an accident. I feel that Ganondorf planned this entire thing. Or if he did not, then maybe that man…" Nabooru started.

"… Kkladekk…" Zukto muttered to himself.

"So you know him… Kkladekk."

"… Kkladekk is my brother. My older brother." Zukto explained. Nabooru looked questioningly at Zukto. Kyoshiro did not appear to care one way or the other.

"Well anyway, it seems obvious to me that Kkladekk is no friend to Hyrule or her people. He has something dangerous in mind."

"…What kind of curse? What are we dealing with here?" Zukto asked suddenly.

"… Princess, are you still with us?" Nabooru asked. Zelda had not spoken the entire time.

"… Yes." She responded quietly.

"Care to explain what is going on?" Nabooru continued.

"I-I told you… I cannot… I do not remember anything…"

"There is _something_. Reach within your mind. Do not dismiss even the smallest of hints."

"… Ah… there might be something… Zukto, remember when… When I told you that Ganondorf attacked me? After you and Kyoshiro left me, I… I heard a voice. But there was no one in the room with me…" She explained. Zukto watched Zelda carefully as she spoke, but when she finished he turned to Nabooru to gauge her reaction.

"… Kyoshiro, didn't you say when you overheard the conversation earlier that a woman said her 'other half' would not cooperate?" Nabooru wondered out loud.

"Oh, yeah, I nearly forgot about that." Kyoshiro responded.

"Well, we have our answer then. Zelda is no longer just Zelda. Her body is host to two identities. And it appears that when the second identity emerges, Zelda cannot remember what happens. This second being inside her must be the one who ran through the Desert alone. And Kkladekk really wanted to make a deal with this being; whoever it was." Nabooru elaborated. Zelda avoided eye contact with anyone.

"Ah, wait… I… heard something else. It has to do with whomever Kkladekk wanted to talk to." Zukto added.

"Oh?" Nabooru seemed intrigued.

"When it was just Zelda, my brother, Ganondorf, and I earlier, Ganondorf said that the 'Goddess could not suppress the host any longer.' So does that mean that…" Zukto trailed off, unsure of what to say or think.

"Goddess? Well there is no way that Zelda is hosting Din, Farore, or Nayru… how many other Goddesses do we have?" Nabooru asked.

"Wait, you don't know?" Zukto sounded worried.

"I personally have not read into the subject deep enough to have answers for you. You might have to find someone else to address this mystery." Nabooru conceited. Zukto felt defeated.

"Princess… I'm so sorry…" He muttered.

"Whatever…" Zelda sighed.

"Sorry for divulging all of these… personal details Princess, but if you are going to continue working with Zukto and Kyoshiro they need to know about these things. Don't you think?" Nabooru prompted.

"Talk about me all you want; see if I care. Oh, Zukto; put me down right now." Zelda suddenly demanded. She sounded angry.

"No, I will not. You could not even stand a moment ago. And now we need to walk back through the Desert. You are in no condition to walk through the Desert yourself right now."

"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do! Why does everyone do that?! I can make decisions for myself!" Zelda yelled. Considering that most of the time she was too busy lost in her own thoughts to even hold dialogue with someone else, seeing her angry was hard for Zukto to deal with mentally.

_Such disrespect. Why don't you let me take over again, hm? I can straighten them out for you…_

"N-no! Get out of my head! Who are you?!" Zelda yelled, this time at seemingly nothing. She clutched her head. Zukto looked scared.

"She mentioned a voice early. It must be the voice again; her other self is talking to her." Nabooru explained.

"What do we do?!" Zukto asked.

"… We need her to calm down. I'm worried that stressful situations might provoke these… attacks, if you will." Nabooru responded.

"Princess. It's me, Zukto. You need to relax. I will not let anything happen to you. I just want you to be safe. Please, let me help you…" Zukto muttered to Zelda. The grip she had on her head seemed to relax a bit.

"Zukto… I…" Her arms went limp and she did not say anything else.

"Princess?! Zelda, please, say something…!" Zukto pleaded.

"Zukto, stop. I think she is so exhausted that she blacked out. We need to get her back to the Fortress. Be very careful with her." Nabooru warned. Zukto thought the warning was unnecessary, as he was obligated by the King of Hyrule to do just that. The group left the Temple as fast as possible.

When the exhausted group finally reached the Fortress, the sun was rising.

"Zukto, I know none of you planned on last night turning into what it did, but you three should probably come to expect… snags. I sense that everything going on right now is interconnected, and none of it will simply cease to be an issue of its own volition." Nabooru advised.

"Yeah… well… it might not have been a total loss…" Zukto muttered, thinking about Zelda. She had not moved since she blacked out in the Temple.

"… Follow me. I'll show you where we can let Zelda rest."

"… With all respect Master, I really want to keep an eye on her. She can stay with me." Zukto said. He felt a little embarrassed about being so upfront, but it was also kind of empowering. Nabooru looked amused.

"Don't take advantage of her now." She warned, mockingly. Her attitude had done an about face. Honestly though, it was more normal for Nabooru to make jokes. Zukto turned red.

"I would never be so cowardly!" He declared defensively as he headed home. Instead, Kyoshiro ended up following Nabooru.

Zukto immediately laid Zelda on his bed when he got home. While she was not particularly heavy, Zukto noticed that his arms were really stiff and sore from being held in one position for so long, with weight they were not accustomed to carrying. The next couple of days might be a little bit difficult, he noted. He found a chair and pulled it up to the side of his bed. At first he sat in the chair at Zelda's side to watch her, but fatigue soon caught up with him and he fell asleep.

Zukto was awoken suddenly, he did not know when, because there was a lot of movement near him. He raised his head off his chest to assess the situation. Zelda appeared to be asleep still, but she was muttering and tossing around in her sleep.

_Is she having a nightmare…? Should I wake her…?_ Zukto thought with uncertainty.

"M-mom… dad… no…" Zelda cried out softly. Zukto felt like someone took one of his arrows and jabbed it straight through his heart. He could not sit there silently and watch anymore. He reached out a hand and touched Zelda's shoulder. He shook her gently.

"Princess? Princess Zelda, wake up…" He muttered quietly. Her eyes flew open and she quickly sat up.

"Whereami?!" She panicked.

"Princess, you need to calm down. It's just me, Zukto. You're at my house."

"… What in the hell…" She muttered as she let herself fall back onto the bed. She covered her face with one of her arms.

"I do not actually know what time it is, or what day it is. I assume it's late. But last night, I think anyway, was really rough for all of us." Zukto explained. Zelda did not say anything for a while.

"… Ganondorf killed my parents." She finally said, almost too quietly for Zukto to hear.

"B-but, your Father is still alive. We saw him… didn't we?"

"… That is not my Father." Zelda responded harshly.

"I am sorry Princess, but I just simply do not understand what is going on."

"… According to the King, my Father, I am his daughter by birth. I was born in the Castle. But I was not raised there."

"… Really? Then where… oh, this is just a guess; were you raised in Kakariko?"

"Yes. I guess you pay attention a little. At any rate, I was raised in Kakariko. And not only that, I was raised with a different name than Zelda, and I was never told that I was the Princess of Hyrule. I was utterly sheltered from my identity. Until…"

"Until?"

"I… came home one day… and my parents… were dead." Zelda could barely get the words out. She was visibly upset.

"… I'm sorry…"

"I am… not finished. After that, Master Impa approached me for the first time. She said I must train with her. At the time, I did not understand what that meant. But it did mean, for me, that I had a pseudo replacement for the parents I just lost. Master Impa was there for me when no one else was. But again… like always, just as things were going smoothly with my training, the King suddenly appeared in town one day. At that point, my parents had been dead for several years. He finds me, and drops the bomb on me that I am actually the heir to the Hylian throne and that I must join his family in the Palace immediately. I had lived about a decade and a half. I was really frustrated with people just showing up whenever it was convenient for them to tell me what I should do with _my_ life. I only went with him because Master Impa insisted. But every chance I could, I snuck out of the Palace and went back to Kakariko. It was actually really recently, maybe a few months before you found me, that Master Impa took me aside and revealed to me that Ganondorf was the person who murdered my parents. Of course, when I found out I…" Zelda trailed off.

"You do not have to continue if you do not want to, Princess. I… appreciate you telling me all that you did. Now I can understand how hard it has been for you."

"Do not say that. I hate it when people say they understand, because they do not. They only assume that they do. How could they…?" Zelda looked torn. Zukto did not know how to respond. He did not want to make her more upset, but how could he try to comfort her when she talked like that? She appeared to disapprove of sympathy.

"Oh, um, Princess… what was going on when I woke you up?" Zukto asked tentatively. The atmosphere was still tense, but he was genuinely concerned. It was a hard position to be in.

"… I have had the same dream continuously for several years now. I dream about the day that I found my parents dead in our house." She answered. It was not abrupt but it was still oddly devoid of any emotion, given the subject. With this, Zelda sat up again and drew her knees to her chest. She laid her head down on her knees. Zukto was worried that she was crying but he could not see her face to check to see if she was, on the account of her thick hair serving as a barrier between them.

_I have to help her calm down… Right? It would be wrong to leave her like this wouldn't it? But she has surely been in a state like this before…_

"Hey, Princess…" Zukto began. Maybe changing the subject would work.

"… What?" She did not sound angry, but she did not sound thrilled at the idea of questions either.

"You said partly through your story that you had lived for a decade and a half. How long ago were you fifteen?" Zukto could not help but be curious. Honestly, he felt like he would completely fail to even guess what her age was. To Zukto's surprise, she actually raised her head off her knees to look at him.

"That seems like a pointless question." She still looked a little upset, but it did not appear as though she were crying a moment ago.

"Well… mind humoring me?"

"… I am twenty now." Zelda responded, a little on guard. Zukto was a little surprised.

"You are twenty? And the King lets you wander around like this? Don't you… I mean, are you…" Zukto could not spit the question out. He could feel his face reddening a little. Zelda looked confused at first, but soon enough her face lit up with realization.

"You want to know whether I am going to be married soon, do you not?" She asked. Zukto could not tell what the look on her face meant. He nodded slowly.

"I do not know why it concerns someone like you, but no. I have no plans to marry anyone."

"Don't you have to marry, you know, to be… and compared to most girls you are several years behind…" Zukto could not complete his thoughts. He was a little too embarrassed. Zelda looked frustrated.

"I do not need another man in my life telling me what to do. I have too many of those already." She scoffed. Zukto looked slightly shocked at first, but could not help laughing. At first it was slight, but the more he thought about what she said, the funnier it was.

"What in Nayru's name is so amusing to you?!"

"I did not realize you were so popular with the opposite sex, Princess." Zukto teased. Zelda's eyes widened in shock, but the shock soon enough gave way to embarrassment. Her face turned a bright red color.

"I-I said no such thing! You are putting words in my mouth!" Zelda cried. Zukto had to admit that it was adorable when she was flustered.

"So what did you mean then?"

"… I have had suitors in the past. But I scared them off. Every. Single. One." Zelda purposely paused between words to better emphasize her point. She also had a glint in her eyes. Zukto could not be sure, but it seemed like she was challenging him. It took all of his self-control not to blurt out that he accepted her challenge. He opted for a different approach instead.

"Might you divulge details of such adventures?"

"Hm, why not. Typically when a suitor came to the Palace to meet with me, I would tell him that I was studying magic." She began enthusiastically after a slight pause.

"Mhm, and then?"

"They always seemed interested, or maybe they were just pretending to be interested. At any rate, when they expressed interest, I always… put on a little demonstration." She sounded extremely mischievous. Zukto's heart skipped a beat; he liked it when Zelda got excited about something.

"Like what?"

"Well, I liked to show them that I could manipulate shadows. So I would start messing with suits of armor."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive."

"They did not think so." Zelda had a sheepish grin on her face.

"Why not?"

"Well… they never actually told me… but I honestly think they were afraid that I would kill them in their sleep if they actually married me!" With this, Zelda burst out laughing. It was so sincere; Zukto could not help but smile. Moments like these… he never wanted them to end.

"Well, you know what… I do not blame them for worrying." Zukto responded with pretend seriousness.

"Ha, I knew it." Zelda scoffed.

"Knew what?"

"You are not up for the challenge."

"Says who?"

"Says me; of course. And my word is all that matters."

"Is that so? Well, you better be prepared to be amazed then. I am merely biding my time, you see."

"It will take you so long to amaze me that Zora's Domain will freeze over." Zelda retorted. Zukto felt like his grin was permanently plastered to his face. He was having way too much fun.

"Thank you, Princess."

"… What for?"

"Hm, nothing in particular." Zukto responded, choosing to be a little mysterious himself.

"Well, we have spent enough time here have we not? We should find Nabooru and Kyoshiro. We do have a mission, after all." So it was back to business as usual for her. Zukto felt disappointed, but then again, it felt like he made a lot of progress in such a short amount of time. And they still had a long journey ahead of them… surely there was time? Zukto stood up, and offered a hand to Zelda.

"Do not stand up too quickly; you might still be tired from everything that happened, and I do not want you to faint because you stood up too fast." Zukto warned; his hand still outstretched. Zelda felt like telling him off for assuming that she would be so careless, but she decided to cooperate just to get it over with faster. She grabbed his hand. Zukto smiled as he helped her stand up. He was right; she was still tired. It seemed like she was a little unsteady on her feet.

"Is everything okay?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded.

"It just has been a while, I think, since I stood up. I just need to get used to it." Zukto thought that sounded pretty reasonable. Then he noticed that they were still holding hands. He awkwardly let go before she had a chance to scold him about it. As far as he could tell, she did not react at all to it.

Zukto had the curtains pulled in his house, so he could not tell what time of day it was when he was there with Zelda. Leaving his house revealed to him that it was late-afternoon, or perhaps early-evening; the sun was lower in the sky, but not quite setting yet.

"I think we were asleep for quite a while. Roughly half the day, if I were to guess." He observed.

"Well, considering everything that happened… even though I cannot remember all of it… it seems logical." Zukto wondered if her memory loss affected her as much as it bothered him.

The rest of the time they spent looking for Nabooru passed in silence. Things were more or less back to normal between them. Zukto felt like he would have to return to grasping blindly at opportunities to connect with the Princess, and she seemed like she was just as aloof and calculating as before.


	10. 9 Retracing Steps to the Second Temple

A/N: I just want to write, write, write it seems! I don't know if this story interests you, but it sure interests me!

A/N: Read and review~!

Eventually, Zukto and Zelda found Nabooru. She looked tired still, but she was happy to see that Zelda was up and about.

"I suspect that your friend is still asleep. Does he often sleep?" Nabooru asked. Zukto could not hold back his chuckle.

"Yes, he does."

"Ah, well, follow me."

The three of them entered Kyoshiro's room without knocking. Like Nabooru suspected, he was indeed still asleep. Zukto tried his hand at rousing Kyoshiro.

"Yo, Kyo, time to get up."

"I said… don't… call me…" Kyo muttered in response, barely audible and barely understandable.

"You've slept long enough, c'mon."

"… Fine, I'm getting up…" Kyoshiro sat up, while remaining under the blanket, and rubbed his eyes. He still looked tired, like Nabooru and everyone else. Zukto suspected that everyone would need a couple of days to recover… but did they have the time? Suddenly, Zukto remembered something.

"Uhhh, Princess and Master… you should leave."

"Why?" Both of the ladies answered in unison. Zukto's face turned a little red because he did not want to have to explain to them.

"Come on, just come with me!" Zukto impatiently responded as he nudged them out of the room. They were both annoyed with him and voiced various forms of protest because he was not explaining himself. Zukto thought the protest was still better than him having to tell them that Kyoshiro slept with no clothes. Personally he did not care how Kyoshiro slept, but he was especially keen on keeping the Princess out of those types of situations. It was his job after all to defend the Princess, and her maidenhood seemed like the sort of thing that needed protection as well as her life and health.

Kyoshiro was still half-asleep, so he did not understand what the fuss was about. He threw the blanket aside and, true to Zukto's suspicions, was buck naked. He wandered around the room in search of his pants. Finding them tossed aside in a corner, he fished them out and put them on. Accomplishing that, he found his under armor. This had been set aside with a greater amount of care. He pulled the chainmail armor over his head and straightened it out on his body. It was only made to protect his chest, which was the part of the body that was targeted the most. After all, slashing at someone's arm was not as likely to kill them as trying to run them through. Finally, he found his tunic and pulled that over his head. Besides his boots, and his sword, he was ready to go.

"Hey, where'd you guys go?" Kyoshiro asked the empty room. The group was not very far, so they heard him.

"Uh, let me check on him first and I'll let you know if the coast is clear." Zukto said. He ran off. Nabooru tried really hard to stifle her chuckle; she understood now what was going on. Zelda seemed oblivious, however.

"Zukto is acting weird." She said, frowning.

"And you don't?" Nabooru teased. Zelda had absolutely no response for that; all she could do was quietly sulk.

"Come on now!" Zukto called. The two ladies rejoined the group.

"So… are we taking off?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Well, we need to talk about that. We got back to the Fortress really early this morning, and it would seem that we slept until late afternoon. I do not want to waste a lot of time, and we still have some time before nightfall, but the problem is this: if we left now, it would be either past sundown or nearly there by the time we reached the Temple, and then of course we do not know what awaits us in the Temple." Zukto explained. Zelda and Nabooru instantly looked thoughtful as they searched for solutions.

"Zukto, I do believe there is a secret grotto near the Temple. Not everyone can enter it; in fact, I never have. I heard that the way to the grotto can be revealed if someone of great Wisdom approaches. Perhaps you can head to the Temple tonight, rest in the grotto, then begin your search for the next weapon early tomorrow morning." Nabooru explained.

"That sounds great, except…" Zukto started.

"Do we know anyone of 'great Wisdom?'" Kyoshiro blurted out. Zukto felt glad that Kyoshiro took the fall for him; he had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"Excuse me Kyoshiro; I believe I have demonstrated numerous times that I am quite capable in that department." Zelda scowled.

"Er, right… but isn't it something beyond just reading everything you get your hands on?" Kyoshiro asked. Zukto thought that he was just digging himself a deeper grave, although he could not help but concede that his friend had a point.

"Naturally," was all Zelda said in response. Zukto was a little surprised at first, and then curious. So did she have something in mind?

"Come, we should be off. We want to reach the Colossus before nightfall if possible." Zelda said, snapping Zukto out of his thoughts.

"Right. Master, do you wish to join us?" Zukto asked Nabooru. She nodded eagerly.

"You will need my help anyway." She said, winking. Zukto did not say anything because he thought in the back of his head that even though she was joking, she was probably right. At least for him, she was an incredibly resourceful ally. With that, the group left for the Desert Colossus.

Somehow, the group split into two groups based on sex. Zukto and Kyoshiro took the lead navigating through the first part of the Desert while the ladies trailed slightly behind. Zukto kept looking back to make sure they were okay at first. Eventually, he figured out that they were purposely moving slower than Kyoshiro and Zukto because they were holding, he guessed, a private conversation. So he stopped looking over his shoulder every minute.

"Master Nabooru, I wanted to apologize for last night. It seems that I was not myself."

"I understand, though is that just going to be an excuse from now on?" Nabooru asked. Zelda's face fell slightly.

"… I cannot let it be, no. But…"

"But?"

"… As it stands, I am powerless against her."

"Her? So do you know who it is?"

"No. But it seems that as we share this body, we also can share thoughts. I have occasionally been able to catch glimpses of what I assume to be her memories."

"Well, be that as it may… do not pay too much attention to what she shows you. I would not be surprised if she begins to use those 'memories' to influence how you think. She is trying to take over, after all…" Nabooru warned. She hoped it was a reminder for Zelda, who surely already thought of that possibility. Zelda was oddly silent for a while.

"Anyway, um… I was wondering… what can I do to fight her?"

"That… is a pretty good question. You are going to have to train your mind to overpower her. When you feel her fighting you, you need to fight back twice as much."

"… That… is easy for you to say." Zelda whispered. Nabooru looked concerned.

"You aren't giving up… are you?" She asked slowly. Zelda fell silent again.

… _This is bad. What is she thinking?_

"Princess. Please listen to me. I do not know what is going on in that head of yours, but whatever it is, it is not healthy. You are here with us for a reason. You need to figure out that reason, and fight for that reason with all of your might. A lot of people have helped you get to this point. Are you just going to throw away their efforts?"

"… I am here… for a reason…" Zelda repeated slowly and quietly. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something, but she looked frustrated.

"The answers won't always come easily. Don't get discouraged, okay? But this should make you feel better… I have a feeling that your Ward will be a great help to you in this matter." Nabooru explained. Zelda's face lightened slightly.

"It has been a while. After we finish here, I should see her anyway. Thank you for the idea, Master Nabooru."

"It is my pleasure. From what Master Impa has told me, you have… a problem when it comes to asking for help. So I am very grateful that you came to me for advice."

"Oh… Master Impa said that about me?" Zelda's face reddened slightly.

"We all have traits that could use some work. You shouldn't be embarrassed about it."

"What else does Master Impa say about me?" Nabooru chuckled at Zelda's curiosity.

"Hm, let's see… she says you are a delightful student because you pour all of your energy into a goal until you accomplish it. You don't like to accomplish things only part way. Your thirst for knowledge is admirable. She likes that you are as serious about things in general as she is… and she thinks you need to hurry up and get married." Nabooru winked playfully, and Zelda's face turned a new shade of red.

"Wh-what?! Is that true?!" Zelda yelled a little too loudly. Zukto immediately glanced back at the two women, worried at first when he heard Zelda yelling. But then he noticed that Nabooru was doubled-over laughing. He should have suspected she was the cause of the outburst. Though he was curious about what happened, he did not say anything and kept moving ahead.

Eventually, the two ladies caught up with Zukto and Kyoshiro. The group was quiet for a while. Zukto really wanted to break the silence, but was not sure how. Luckily, Kyoshiro had no such mental restrictions; he took care of the hard part.

"What were you two discussing back there anyway?"

"Wouldn't you like to know~?" Nabooru teased. Her sweet and playful voice nearly made Zukto blush, but he fought it.

"I was asking Master Nabooru why the Goddesses decided that our team should consist of a stalker and a court jester." Zelda retorted.

"Your words wound me, Princess! And what about you?" Zukto teased back.

"Court Jester?! What in the fu—" Kyoshiro started, but Zelda had a response for Zukto so she cut him off.

"Is it not already obvious? There is nothing wrong with me."

"Well, except for the fact that you are possessed. Does that count?"

"Perhaps you would enjoy meeting the person 'possessing me' for yourself?"

"Nah, I'm good. I can barely handle you as it is."

"Oh? I have only just begun." Zelda smiled mischievously. Again, Zukto felt like someone knocked the ground out from under him.

"Bring it on." Zukto returned her smile with one of his own. For a minute, they both stared at each other. Nabooru got an idea, and pushed Kyoshiro forward. They continued through the Desert, though Kyoshiro was not very good company because he was still annoyed about Zelda's joke.

"Princess… I have something I want to say." Zukto said finally when they were alone.

"Yes?"

"See, the thing is…" Zukto started to talk, but he could not get the words out for some reason.

"I cannot read your mind. Are we just going to stand here all evening?"

"Princess, please… I lo—" Zukto started to say, but suddenly the ground around them shook violently. Zukto and Zelda lost their balance slightly. Three Iron Knuckles menacingly rose from the sand.

"Princess, get back! These things are dangerous!" Zukto warned, trying to get between her and the living suits of armor. But they were outnumbered, and he could no longer see Kyo or Nabooru.

_Why did they only appear now? We've been here for a while…_ Zukto thought, reaching for his bow and arrows.

"Zukto! Please, do not treat me like a child. I have already proven myself capable in combat. Now, let us fight our foes together. We are a team… are we not?" Zelda looked a little hurt, but insistent. Zukto finally nodded.

"You're right. I am sorry, Princess. I don't mean to treat you like a child… it's just…"

"I know. My Father told you to look out for me." Without giving Zukto a chance to say anything else, which he desperately wanted to, Zelda charged forward at the nearest walking suit of armor. Even at the best of times, Iron Knuckles were slow moving. Now that they were attempting to do battle on sand, progress forward was nigh impossible. One of them already started to sink slightly. Zelda charged up a ball of energy in her hands and fired it at her target. It suffered a direct hit; while the enemy did not appear too damaged, the attack knocked it off balance. It fell onto its back. Just as Zelda was about to manipulate the shadow of the Iron Knuckle to use its heavy axe against it, a powerful gust of wind blew through the Desert. Wind and sand whipped everywhere. Zelda was forced to close her eyes, which prevented her from using her signature technique. Zukto also was rendered helpless at the sudden turn of the weather. He pushed against the wind to be near Zelda.

"Princess, this storm is going to be bad. We have to leave; now!" Zukto yelled to be heard over the screaming winds.

"I cannot see…!" Zelda cried, shielding her face with one of her hands. Zukto reached for her free hand to try to guide her to safety. He had momentarily forgotten about the Iron Knuckles in the confusion. There was still one that had not been incapacitated due to the sand. It took the opportunity to approach the two, unnoticed, and it raised its mighty axe over its head, aiming for Zukto. Zelda lifted her hand from her face just in time to notice what the armor was doing.

"Zukto…! Get out of the way!" She cried. He looked at her, confused. But it was too late; the Iron Knuckle lowered its axe straight at Zukto. Without thinking, Zelda pushed Zukto out of the way of the projectile. But she did not have enough time to cast shield magic; the weapon came down on her shoulder, piercing her skin. She let out a horrible cry of pain, and fell to her knees. Zukto looked on from a few feet away, absolutely horrified. It took him a minute to recover mentally. He immediately rushed to Zelda's side.

"Princess?! Princess Zelda, are you okay?! Please… say something to me… Princess…?" Zukto desperately tried to get her attention. But she was not moving or saying anything. The axe was still stuck in her arm and the wound was slowly bleeding, trickling onto her clothes and the Desert floor. Zukto wanted to pull out the axe, but he knew that wounds bled faster after removing the weapon. He did not want her to lose so much blood when they were so far away from any facilities that could help her.

_Shit, what in Din's name do I do?!_ Zukto thought in a panic. Suddenly, Zelda rose to her feet again.

"P-princess? You need to get back. You cannot fight like that!"

"Princess? Heh. Do not compare that pathetic child to _me_." A harsh, feminine voice that did not belong to Zelda spoke. Zukto looked over at Zelda, and noticed that her face looked different. Her eyes were narrower.

"Who are you?" Zukto asked.

"Hm, yes, I suppose I should not expect an uneducated mortal to know me. After all, they do not want ordinary people knowing about me…" At first "Zelda" gave a wry smile. But the smile quickly faded.

"You're the voice that speaks to Zelda?"

"Oh, so she speaks about me?" The woman looked pleased again.

"Why are you here?"

"Look, boy, if I did not come out when I did, your 'Princess' would be in real trouble. I saved her life. Be grateful." The woman replied harshly. She looked annoyed. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she turned her attention to the axe still lodged in her shoulder. With little effort, the woman grabbed ahold of the weapon and pulled it out of herself. At first, as Zukto suspected, the blood flowed faster from the wound. But within seconds, the bleeding stopped completely. The woman just stood there, holding the oversized weapon that dripped with Zelda's blood.

"Mmm, there we go… now that is taken care of… let us finish these pests, shall we?" She cooed, looking at the Iron Knuckles with a glint in her eyes. The sandstorm did not seem to faze her in the slightest. With unnatural speed for a woman of her stature, she lunged forward with the large axe and ran one of the Iron Knuckles through with it. After that, she closed her eyes and orbs of dark energy formed in her hands. She fired these orbs at another Iron Knuckle, which made its armor look like it was made of sand. The monster fell instantly. With one left, the woman used Zelda's signature technique on it. She held her arms steady in front of her and concentrated. The shadows of her arms reached out and grabbed the shadow of the Iron Knuckle. The monster was rendered immobile as its own axe sliced it in half. Satisfied with her work, the woman walked off. Zukto only watched while she dispatched the enemies, but he was not going to just let her get away.

"Okay, so you helped us out back there. I appreciate the help, but Zelda is no longer in danger. Please let her come back." He requested. The woman quickly turned to him, glaring.

"Why in the name of the Goddess of Destruction would I listen to a mortal like you?"

"I suppose you don't have to listen to me necessarily. But last time, Zelda listened to me." Zukto explained, looking serious. The woman was taken aback slightly, but regained her cool and detached composure within a few moments.

"Yeah? Well, I suppose if you can wake up Zelda from the recesses of her own mind, then you win. I imprisoned her consciousness there so it would not get in my way." The woman looked sure of herself that Zukto would be powerless to do anything. At first, she thought her assumption was justified when Zukto looked crestfallen, but suddenly he became resolute.

"Princess Zelda, I know you can hear me. I love you." Zukto declared. The woman looked shocked for a moment before she started to sway unsteadily on her legs. Zukto ran up to her and caught her before she fell. She did not move or say anything for a bit.

"Princess? Princess Zelda? Are you awake?" Zukto asked as he moved a bit of her hair out of her face. She slowly opened her eyes.

"… Ah? Zukto? What happened? All I remember is… ah!" Zelda began slowly, until she noticed her blood-soaked clothing.

"Princess… you saved my life. You are so brave. But I'm the one who is supposed to save you."

"Why can I not also protect people important to me, as you can?" Zelda asked suddenly. Zukto was taken aback slightly, but he also felt relieved.

"I am so glad you are okay, Your Highness." Zukto sighed, hugging Zelda tightly. This time, Zelda was taken aback.

"Wh-what has gotten into you?" She asked, blushing slightly.

"Well, the Iron Knuckle… it… and I wasn't sure if I was going to have to…" Zukto muttered, and he could not finish his thoughts. Some of them made him feel a little sick.

"… What happened to them anyway?"

"Do… do you not remember?"

"No. I only remember that the Iron Knuckle was headed straight for you, and I… I was not thinking clearly… I could only see an image of you in my mind getting struck by the axe, and I panicked…"

"Well…" Zukto hesitated slightly, unsure whether or not he should tell Zelda the truth. But he decided that he should be honest with her.

"The Iron Knuckle… attacked you after you pushed me out of the way. Maybe for a split second you were yourself, but… your other half took over. And your other half destroyed the Iron Knuckles after she dislodged the axe from your arm."

"Oh yeah, about…" Zelda started, lifting a hand to touch her shoulder. Her clothes were torn where the axe made contact with her, but there was no wound on her skin that she could find. Just blood that was partially dry.

"There… there is no wound." Zelda muttered.

"… I guess it is true then. The being inside of you isn't a human…" Zukto said more to himself than anyone else.

"… How was… how was I able to come back? Did she just let me have control again?"

"… N-no, not exactly… she told me that I would have to bring you back somehow."

"Well…" Zelda clearly hesitated for a moment, but Zukto was not sure why.

"Well?"

"... Whatever you did… I guess it worked. So thanks. But we… we need to be off. I fear we are quite a bit behind Nabooru and Kyoshiro." That was so like Zelda; to be utterly serious and matter-of-fact even when she had been in trouble not long ago.

"Princess… I will not let you do that again." Zukto said seriously. Zelda looked at him briefly, but shrugged. If she was saying that she did not care if she almost lost a limb, or worse… Zukto felt a little impatient with her suddenly. It was like she was trying to annoy him by being ridiculous. The two let an awkward silence fall between them as they walked further. It was nearly dark when they found Nabooru and Kyo.

"Ah! There you two are! I was worried that you ran the Princess off, Zukto." Nabooru giggled, winking. Zukto was not in such a good mood, however. He looked away, which caused Nabooru's face to drop slightly. Then she gasped when she saw Zelda's bloodied clothing.

"Oh my dear Goddesses! Zukto, what did you do?!" Nabooru asked as she rushed to Zelda.

"Me?! Why do you assume that's my fault?"

"You are the one who is supposed to watch over her!"

"You don't have to remind me of that! But if you're in the mood to scold people, scold the Princess! She… pushed me out of harm's way." Zukto sighed. Nabooru looked back and forth between the two and sighed herself.

"You two are really difficult. Did you already wrap up her wound, Zukto?"

"Er, um, no… it… does not need to be wrapped."

"Ridiculous. You are just being irresponsible. Princess, may I?" Nabooru asked as she felt around Zelda's shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock.

"There… there is no wound? But then how…?"

"I think… I think my other half… healed me." Zelda explained slowly. Nabooru paused for a moment in thought, but seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Ah… that… would make sense. At any rate, we need to get you out of this weather. Come, the grotto I mentioned is not too far away." Nabooru took her place at Zelda's side this time and nudged Zukto ahead to lead the way. She wanted to make sure Zelda was okay. For the most part she was, except she was still a little weak and light-headed from the initial loss of blood. When they reached the oasis, Zukto stopped.

"So um, where are we going? I don't really know what you mean by a grotto."

"Well, we have done all we can. Now it's your turn, Your Highness." Nabooru said, looking at Zelda expectantly. Zelda looked a little nervous, but she took a deep breath and slowly walked in the direction that Nabooru pointed to. As she neared a huge rock wall, a voice spoke to her.

_Keeper of the Piece of Wisdom… welcome._

"Ah?! Who is there?!" Zelda suddenly asked, startled by the voice. Zukto was startled too, thinking she sensed someone nearby. But Nabooru shook her head at him. He calmed down. Unexpectedly, a light began to shine underneath Zelda. The light was golden, like the light of the Triforce. It engulfed Zelda briefly.

"… What is going on?" Zukto asked. Nabooru looked like she wanted him to be quiet and to pay attention. When the light around Zelda died down, it looked like she could not look away from her hand. Zukto looked at Nabooru briefly before running to Zelda's side.

"Is everything okay, Princess?" He asked when he caught up to her. She did not say anything, but she showed him the back of her right hand; a symbol glowed. It was the Triforce, and the left-bottom piece was lit up.

"Wh-what… what does… that mean? That… hasn't always been there… right?" Zukto asked after studying her hand for a moment.

"… No, it has not. It just appeared…" Zelda whispered. Just then, Kyoshiro and Nabooru caught up to the two of them. Nabooru looked pleased when she saw the symbol.

"So it has finally happened! The Goddesses granted you the Triforce of Wisdom, Your Highness! You should be honored." Nabooru looked smug, as if she herself had received the Triforce of Wisdom.

"What does this mean?" Zelda asked.

"Your Highness! I am surprised at you. I thought you knew everything about the old legends. Hm?"

"Well, of course… the pieces of the Triforce represent Power, Courage, and Wisdom… three people of legend are destined to bear the pieces in the time of a crisis."

"Well, I believe we are dealing with a crisis right now. What about you?" Nabooru looked curious.

"Okay, so… about the other pieces…"

"… Ganondorf has the Piece of Power, of course." Zukto chimed in.

"That leaves one more piece." Kyoshiro observed.

"… A legendary hero possesses the Piece of Courage." Zelda explained.

"A legendary hero?" Zukto echoed.

"Ah yes, you are slightly less familiar with our legends. In ancient legends, Ganondorf is the Great King of Evil. There is only one with the power to fight against and defeat the Great King of Evil; the legendary hero that bears the Triforce of Courage. But he could never defeat the Great King of Evil on his own. He needed the help of the Ancient Sages, and a legendary blade known as the Master Sword. The sword is rumored to be the blade of evil's bane. And the resting place of the Master Sword is tied to the Triforce." Zelda explained.

"Why isn't this hero here, helping us anyway?" Zukto asked suddenly. Everyone looked at each other, like that thought never occurred to them before now.

"Well, um… why don't we enter the grotto now and rest? If we wish, we can continue this discussion in safety." Nabooru started nudging everyone into the stone hallway that revealed itself. On the other side was a Fairy Fountain. The group was tired, especially Zelda, so they decided to put their discussion of ancient legends on hold. Zukto watched Zelda sleep for a while before he let himself fall asleep.


	11. 10 Ancient Legends and Trials

A/N: Do you love Hylian Lore as much as I do?

A/N: Read and review, please! 3

Bright and early, the heroes and Nabooru filed out of the grotto. Everyone flinched at the blinding sunlight. The temperature was already dangerously high, but thankfully Zukto knew from experience that the Spirit Temple would be much cooler than standing outside under the sun.

"Okay, so our mission is to find the next artifact that hides within the Spirit Temple." Zukto declared. Zelda looked at him somewhat expectantly.

"What, Princess Zelda?"

"If you are going to make an announcement, at least say something we do not already know." She scolded. Zukto sighed. She was entirely too business-orientated at the best of times.

"Okay, I'll try. Anyway, I do not know what is waiting for us in the Temple. When Master Nabooru and I spent time in the Temple, we never went very deep into it because we were unable to. I am hoping though, since we are all going together, we can get past some of the 'barriers' we encountered. Make sure that you look out for everyone in the group. I guess that's everything… so let's get started." Zukto led the way back to the Temple that they had visited two evenings prior.

Once inside, Zukto felt a little nostalgic. Even though he left Gerudo Desert not too long ago, so much had happened in such a short amount of time that he felt like he had already been away from home a month. Absentmindedly, he touched a statue that he had walked past numerous times before. Zelda looked around the main entrance with attention because last time she was here she was barely conscious. After a bit, she glanced back at Zukto. She was confused at his blank stare.

"Zukto, what is wrong with you?" She asked. Her question came out a little harsher than she intended which got Zukto's attention, but he was not sure how to respond.

"I was… You see… never mind." Zukto sighed deeply, thinking that saying nothing might be the better course of action with Zelda.

"Hey, where is Kyoshiro?" Nabooru asked, looking around. Zukto and Zelda did not notice it before, but Nabooru was right to ask about their partner because he was nowhere in sight.

"Uh, Kyo?" Zukto asked to the mostly empty grand entrance. Zelda decided to try a different strategy; she strained her ears for a moment to listen for anything strange. After a few moments, she was sure she heard the clashing of blades.

"Kyoshiro must have found something to fight. I hear the clash of steel." Zelda explained. She immediately headed in the direction of the noise. Not wanting to lose sight of her, Zukto ran after her. Nabooru trailed behind, mostly because she was not in a hurry to fight anything if she did not have to. That was Zukto's job, right?

Zelda stopped when she spotted Kyoshiro because she also saw what he was fighting. It was another Iron Knuckle. She felt suddenly paralyzed to the spot. Zukto caught up to her, thinking that she was waiting for him. When he stood next to her, he saw the look of terror on her face.

"Whoah, Princess Zelda, is everything okay? What happened?" Zukto moved in front of her and stared at her seriously. It took her a moment, but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I-I do not understand what came over me… I just… I saw… one of them." Zelda explained. Zukto looked in the direction of Kyoshiro, where she had been looking before, and suddenly understood.

"… Princess, if you cannot fight them, I understand. Do not force yourself to do something you are uncomfortable doing. Besides, now that we have Kyo everything will be fine."

"Y-yes." Her face was still a little pale, but she seemed fine besides. Zukto ran off to help Kyoshiro with the walking armor. While Zelda stayed back, she looked around at the new room. There seemed to be two hallways; a left and a right. From what she could see, they were both sealed off.

_Well, there has to be a way to unseal them, right? Let us see what we can find…_

Zelda made her way around the room to look for clues that would enable them to progress through the Temple, while making sure to leave ample space between her and the Iron Knuckle. Eventually, she found something promising; an out-of-place engraving on the wall. The engraving was written in the ancient Hylian language, which made Zelda even more curious. She read it out loud to herself:

"Spirit and Shadow were abandoned by their people. Spirit tried to rejoin those who left him behind, while Shadow tried to hide himself from the people who forsake him. Alone in the world, Spirit found Shadow. Shadow discovered his lost Spirit, and Spirit learned how to protect himself because of Shadow. Forevermore, Spirit and Shadow are Friends…" When Zelda finished reading, she stood still and closed her eyes. She was deep in thought.

"Aha! And now you're finished!" Kyoshiro declared triumphantly as he delivered the coup de grace to the Iron Knuckle he found earlier. The giant armor collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"These things are a pain…" Zukto muttered.

"They are a challenge, which is what I love. Let me fight 'em all! I got this, no problem." Kyoshiro beamed. He was proud of himself for not looking tired like Zukto did. Zukto ignored his overly-enthusiastic partner, who was proud about nothing in particular, and looked around the room. He spotted Zelda standing a ways off by herself. He approached her and gently called her name because he did not want to frighten her.

"Zelda?" Even though he tried not to startle her, he was unsuccessful. Zelda jumped slightly with a start when his voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

"Ah?! Oh, hey… Zukto…" She muttered, embarrassed. She looked at the ground and did not say anything.

"Hey, no need to be so jumpy. Everything is fine. The Iron Knuckle is gone and nothing else is here."

"It… it is not that…" Zelda muttered quietly.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Zukto inquired, figuring it would be better to not press her for explanations.

"I was reading." Zelda pointed at the engraving.

"Well, I am sure that it is interesting if you understand what it says. But I cannot."

"I could read it to you… if you want." She offered.

"I'm listening." Zukto replied with a smile. Zelda read it out loud again. When she finished, Zukto seemed thoughtful too.

"You know, that sounds familiar for some reason. Also, I feel like there's more to the story. If you see one of these engravings somewhere else, let me know. I want to know what it says."

"Alright. Do you know what it means?"

"I think this is part of an old legend. Nabooru used to talk about it a lot when I first showed up in the Desert. Oh, let's ask her." Zukto suddenly jogged away from Zelda to where Nabooru was standing. She was talking with Kyoshiro.

"So anyway, things like this are no problem for me. I did worse for a living." Kyoshiro explained.

"It's apparent that you're a hard worker. I'll give you that…" Nabooru stopped to think for a moment. When she did, Zukto caught up.

"Master Nabooru, there's something you should see." Zukto practically dragged her away. She glanced at Kyoshiro with a "Sorry, I guess he can't wait" face. Kyoshiro rolled his eyes and found a comfortable place to sit. He had a feeling this would take a while.

When Nabooru looked at the engraving, her face lit up.

"Oh yes, this engraving talks about the families that the Sages eventually came from; the Sages of Spirit and Shadow, naturally."

"Why does it say that they were abandoned?" Zukto asked.

"Well, this legend goes back many, many centuries; before the Gods selected people to be Sages. I think, originally, that the ancestors of the Gerudo lived among the other people and races of what is now Hyrule. But the ancestors of the Gerudo came to bear the curse which you know about. After the curse, it is said that the other races drove the Gerudo out of the mainland. In a way, we were cursed twice. Cursed to almost never produce male offspring, and cursed to live alone. Of course, not every Gerudo wanted to be isolated out here. I think one reason why Ganondorf became the Great King of Evil was because when he was young, he hated being isolated out here against his will. He heard of the mainland Kingdom, its wealth and progress, and always was mad that we could never take part in the proceedings. He thinks that the Royal Family is unjust and unfit to rule, and now he wants revenge."

After Nabooru finished voicing her thoughts, the company observed a somber silence for a time. The way Nabooru explained it, Ganondorf almost sounded like a victim. Of course no matter what anyone said about him, Zelda harbored an intense desire to exact revenge against him for what he did to her parents. This is why she was the one who broke the silence.

"And… what about Shadow?" Zelda asked, seemingly ignoring the implications of the Spirit Sage's remarks. Nabooru looked at Zelda sympathetically.

"You already know the answer to your question, Your Highness." With that, Nabooru ran off. Zukto looked at Zelda curiously.

"What was that about?"

"… Master Nabooru is right; about what she said earlier. Everything is interconnected." Zelda said out loud, although it was more directed at herself.

"Huh? Mind filling me in? I'm still here, you know." Zukto said, playfully. Zelda looked at him for a moment, then at the engraving, and finally back at him.

"It is talking about you, you know." Zelda explained, changing the topic slightly.

"Wait, what? Are you sure? How can you even tell?"

"… Shadow is discovering his lost Spirit." Zelda repeated the line from the engraving with the utmost seriousness. But after that, she did something unexpected; she grabbed Zukto's hand and urged him to follow her so they could rejoin the group. Zukto smiled.

_Ah Zelda… I wonder if you remember that I confessed my feelings for you. I can't tell if you are trying to ignore what I said, or if you are just oblivious… but when you act like this, I cannot help myself…_

The duo returned to Nabooru and Kyoshiro, who were joking around. Zukto was amused that they were seemingly getting along so well in such a short amount of time. But then again, Nabooru was never the serious type like Zelda.

"Hey, we're back. Where next?" Zukto asked.

"Well, Zukto, we need to get past those blocked doorways on the left and right sides. But I have been unable thus far to figure out how we are to do that." Zelda responded. Zukto looked around and understood the conundrum. He had no ideas. Nabooru, on the other hand, seemed interested in something. It was another engraving.

"Your Highness, come this way! I think you should read this." Nabooru seemed excited. Zelda hurried to join Sage Nabooru. For a moment Zukto stayed back because he was unsure of what to do, but his curiosity and desire to be around Zelda got the better of him. He joined them.

"So, what do you think?" Nabooru promptly asked. Zelda concentrated on the engraving.

"It says Spirit and Shadow are needed to progress through the sealed section of the Temple. When they became friends, they made a pact to protect this Temple and the treasure within it by combining their powers to create a Temple within a Temple. Only when the ancient seals recognize Shadow and Spirit will they yield, allowing progress through the Temple."

"Come, this way!" Nabooru excitedly ushered Zelda and Zukto to a couple of alters. One alter bore the mark of the Spirit Sage; the other, the mark of the Shadow Sage. Nabooru made Zukto and Zelda stand in front of their respective alters.

"You need to pray to the ancient Sages of Spirit and Shadow to awaken them." She instructed. Zelda and Zukto did as she said. After a few moments, Zukto stumbled and fell backwards onto the ground! Nabooru and Kyoshiro looked at each other, shocked. Suddenly, Nabooru snapped herself out of it because she feared the same might happen to Zelda; she was right. Just as Nabooru approached Zelda, the Princess collapsed into Nabooru's outstretched arms.

"… What is going on?" Kyoshiro asked, looking at his now unconscious teammates.

"I think the ancient Sages brought Zukto and Princess Zelda to their worlds so they can test them. This is important for your journey. If we stick around here for a bit, I feel like the way forward will become clear." Nabooru explained. She was still holding onto Zelda, though just barely.

"Uh… need help there?" Kyoshiro chuckled, watching her.

"Oh shush. But yes. She is not particularly heavy, but I just am not cut out for lifting lifeless bodies." Nabooru joked. Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow at her joke, but did not respond. He easily picked up Zelda in his arms, like she was merely a stuffed toy.

"Where to?"

"Gently lay her out right here." Nabooru instructed. After Kyoshiro set Zelda down, Nabooru requested that he do the same for Zukto. Zukto was much heavier in comparison to Zelda, but Kyoshiro did not want to admit that in front of Nabooru because he did not want her to think he could not handle it. When the two were safe, Kyoshiro leaned against a wall.

"I hate sitting around when I think they are doing something more exciting than me." Kyoshiro complained. Nabooru chuckled this time.

Zukto sat up and shook his head.

_I fell? When did that happen?_

"Hey Ze- Wait a second, where am I?" Zukto looked around, confused. He was standing in what he thought to be the Spirit Temple, but it looked entirely different. For one, the walls and ceiling were much smaller, and lower, than the walls of the Spirit Temple. They were also darker. For another, there were… fountains. While he was sitting there, pondering the situation, a girl approached him.

"You are not from around here, are you?" Her voice was really young and feminine. She also looked extremely familiar to Zukto, but he could not remember why.

"N-no, I'm not. But where is 'here' anyway?"

"You don't know? You opened a secret pathway that only descendants of Spirit can open."

"Only descendants of Spir—wait, was there a girl here earlier with me?"

"Girl? Nah. I only noticed you here, which is why I came over." The girl explained. Zukto was a little worried.

_If I am here, what happened to Zelda? I hope she's okay…_

"Hey, come on! Don't look like that! Don't you have work to do?" The girl asked seriously. Zukto was slightly taken aback at her abruptness, but he understood what she meant.

"You're right. I can't waste time." He abruptly stood up, but then stopped.

"Er, I would like to say that… but I have no idea what I am supposed to do here." When he said that, the girl started laughing.

"You're funny! All you have to do is ask! You probably want to talk to the Master of Spirit." The girl signaled Zukto to follow her. Knowing he had no other options, Zukto hurried after her.

"Nnhh… Where am I…?" Zelda muttered, opening her eyes. Instinctively, she reached a hand to her head but honestly she was not in much pain; she was just disoriented. She looked around; it looked like she was in a graveyard. It was hard to tell because it was dark, but the graveyard reminded her of the Kakariko Graveyard.

… _When… did I come back home…? _

While she was sitting on the ground trying to process everything, a tall figure silently approached her.

"Why have you come here? This is a Sacred place only for those who are Chosen." He explained. His voice was harsh. Zelda looked up at him, immediately noticed his red eyes, and felt like she knew him for some reason. She stood up quickly, brushed herself off and introduced herself.

"Excuse me, my name is Zelda. I am the Princess of Hyrule, and the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. I am here because I am to be tested by the ancient Sages." She bowed. The silent figure bowed in response.

"Well, well, I did not think you would come so soon. Follow me." He briskly walked in the direction of a large dais on the ground. He stood in the center. As Zelda approached the dais, she studied it. The dais bore the mark of the Shadow Temple.

"Princess Zelda of Hyrule, my name is Wrath. I have been waiting for you; the legends foretold your arrival. Now that you are here, I am to make sure you navigate your way through this Realm as you are tested. Take hold of my arm; we must travel to another part of this Realm." He held his arm out, and Zelda promptly grabbed onto it. The duo was wrapped up in a cocoon of darkness that carried them away from the dais.

Zukto and the girl stopped on a large dais. Zukto noticed the dais was decorated with the symbol of the Spirit Temple.

"Hey, so I guess we haven't done the introductions yet. Tell me who you are." The girl demanded with mock seriousness. Zukto briefly wondered who decided a girl like this should have such an important job.

"My name is Zukto. I have not done anything particularly important except I moved from Charcai to Hyrule a while ago. When I came to Hyrule, I began training at the Spirit Temple in Gerudo Valley." The girl seemed pleased.

"Don't worry; everything is as it should be. Or something like that. So I guess it's my turn. Zukto, my name is Nari! I have been waiting for you for oh-so-long! Now that you're here though, we can begin the test! Come on; don't be shy!" Zukto was wondering what he needed to not be shy about when Nari practically jumped into his arms.

"Aaannnd we're off!" Nari giggled as the two magically disappeared.

Suddenly, back at the Temple, the doors on the left and right sides of the room where Zukto and Zelda lay opened up. Nabooru and Kyoshiro were a little surprised at first because they had grown accustomed to the silence and stillness. They looked at each other.

"As much as I don't want to say this, we have to leave Zukto and Zelda here. And, you and I have to split up. Which pathway speaks to you; left or right?" Nabooru asked.

"The right path. So I take it we can meet up again after we've cleared the next couple of rooms?"

"I assume as much. Good luck Kyoshiro. Be careful." Nabooru stole one last glance at Zukto and Zelda before running off. Kyoshiro took his time getting to his door.

When Zukto could see again after being magically teleported, he looked around at his new surroundings. To his surprise, he was in familiar territory again; he was standing in the Gerudo Fortress. Nari got re-animated when she saw that Zukto was okay.

"Sorry, sorry! I might have overdone it. I forgot for a second that you are mortal." Nari looked embarrassed, but she was laughing like it was no big deal. Zukto sighed. She was a handful.

"Well, what now?"

"What do you mean; what now?"

"Well, er, what… what am I supposed to do…" Zukto muttered, almost feeling stupid for asking.

"What do you think?" Nari asked. Her voice was not condescending, but Zukto still felt like he was missing something incredibly obvious. He excused himself and started to wander through the Fortress. The structure appeared to be pretty similar to what he was used to, but of course the rooms were decorated differently. He needed just a little time to get re-oriented. After several minutes, Zukto found himself standing before two Gerudo guardswomen. When he approached, they unsheathed their curved swords and there was an excited look in their eyes; they were ready to fight. Zukto held up his arms in front of him.

"Look, I am not here to fight you." He said. But he was immediately confused, because what came out of his mouth sounded weird. It was not the Hylian language he knew. But the women in front of him seemed to understand him without a problem.

"So why have you come here, outsider?"

"I am searching for the Master of Spirit. I am to be tested." Again, he was freely speaking a language he never learned how to speak. It was unnerving. He tried to think about what caused the sudden switch… perhaps it was due to Nari's influence.

"Yeah? Well, let's see about that." One of the women headed through a doorway that the two were guarding together. When she returned, another woman followed her. Zukto gasped in spite of himself when he saw her. He bowed.

"Master Nabooru, I am ready for the test." This time, he was trying his hardest to ignore how weird it was for him to form a sentence in one language but speak the same sentence in another language. As Zukto spoke, the woman he called Nabooru looked surprised.

"You know my name, stranger?"

"Of course I do. You are the ancestor of my current Master. Are you the original Sage Nabooru of legend?" When Zukto finished talking, Nabooru smiled.

"Are you Zukto, by chance? I have been waiting for you, child. Come." She disappeared behind the door again, but Zukto quickly followed her.

"I want to welcome you to the Gerudo Fortress… but I guess that is rather unnecessary considering where you live." Nabooru chuckled, flipping through the pages of a book.

"Well, I live 'here,' but things definitely changed after several centuries you know."

"Oh come now, it is not proper form to mention a lady's age." Nabooru said, winking.

"You are right; I apologize, Master Nabooru."

"Hm, why are you so serious all of a sudden? Are you afraid of me?" Nabooru looked like she was fake pouting.

"If you don't mind me asking… what do I need to do here? As much as I like being here with you, there are people back in my Realm that need me." Nabooru smiled sincerely at Zukto when he finished.

"Right you are. I am really glad that you have people you think are worth fighting for. Your convictions and dedication will help you along on your journey; make no mistake about that. But as for what we must do here… I am to test you by teaching you a skill very important to the Gerudo. Ironically, despite its importance, the Gerudo you know almost entirely forgot about it."

"What kind of skill is it?"

"You are going to learn how to control Iron Knuckles."

"… Excuse me?" Zukto practically choked on his own words. He stared at Nabooru in disbelief.

"What, have you not heard of this skill before?"

"… No… n-never." For some reason, Zukto began to doubt himself in regards to being Nabooru's student.

"Oh, well… I am not really surprised... but anyway, it isn't your fault. Do not worry about it. Now you'll find out everything about it." Nabooru smiled encouragingly at Zukto before leading him to the Training Grounds.

Princess Zelda could not help but grin to herself as she and Wrath walked arm and arm through a long corridor. Usually she despised anything that resembled official court proceedings, but this time felt different. Maybe she was just excited to meet the ancestor of her Master. Finally, Wrath stopped before a large, dark curtain. The curtain seemed to serve the function of a door.

"Master of Shadow, it is I, Wrath. I have brought a visitor." He explained. Zelda heard movement from behind the curtain. Someone was approaching. When the curtain was pulled back to reveal who was behind it, Zelda kneeled down on one knee.

"Master Impa, I am honored to meet you." As Zelda spoke, the woman called Impa looked amused.

"Oh, I see. I have a visitor from another era; is that it?"

"Y-yes. I am here to pass the trials you administer." Impa looked pleased with Zelda's eagerness.

"I can sense that you are indeed the student of Shadow I am to train. Come, my dear." Impa silently led the way through a series of passageways. In the passageways there was little light, but eventually they found a larger room that was filled with torches. Every torch was lit. The crackling of the flames was loud because of all of the torches located in one area.

"This is the entrance to the Shadow Temple." Impa explained. Zelda nodded knowingly; though it might be very different now than it was in her time, the idea was still the same.

"What must I do?"

"You must fight your way through a series of challenges. A true hero must be able to balance Power, Wisdom, and Courage. I know without a doubt that Wisdom is a trait you cherish. You are the descendant of the Hylian Royal blood line, and thus you were destined to bear the Triforce of Wisdom just as the current Princess Zelda does. But Wisdom is simply not enough. So your Power and Courage shall be tested. Are you ready, Princess Zelda?"

"I am ready, Master Impa."

"Go forth. Do not falter. I have faith that you will triumph over the challenges that face you within the Shadow Temple. When you have completed the challenges, Wrath will escort you back to me." With a slight smile, Impa took her leave. Alone now, Zelda closed her eyes. She focused on the sound of her breathing.

_I can do this. I must do this. Failure is not an option. _

After taking those few moments for herself, Zelda entered the Shadow Temple proper. Due to her training with Master Impa, Zelda was easily able to see past the illusions of the Temple. Often times, walls were not solid. To the untrained eye, a person would believe that they were trapped. But Zelda found all of the secret passageways. Eventually, she reached a large room that had several floating platforms scattered about.

_I assume that I will have to do battle here._ Zelda thought, trying to steel herself. She was not particularly afraid of heights, but this kind of "arena" was dangerous. One wrong move… Ignoring her misgivings, Zelda traveled to the central platform. When she reached it, the smaller platforms that led her to the center all fell away. She was trapped. It was obvious that any minute, some kind of monster would appear… and Zelda's prediction came true.

From seemingly nowhere, two Lizalfos appeared. They cried out in excitement when they saw Zelda, but only one of them approached to do battle. For some reason, Lizalfos were incredibly patient foes and would only fight their prey one at a time. Zelda grinned, and immediately went on the offensive. She charged up a sphere of magic and fired it at the enemy. It staggered, but shook itself off and lunged at Zelda with a dagger. Zelda quickly side-stepped out of the trajectory of the dagger, and grabbed the shadow of the Lizalfos. The creature shrieked in confusion and pain as Zelda forced it to run itself through. She smirked triumphantly as the Lizalfos collapsed in a bloody heap.

"Your turn!" Zelda declared, pointing at the remaining monster. Before the monster could even reach Zelda, she fired three shots at it; one shot at the monster's dagger-wielding arm, one shot at the chest, and another at the monster's head. The Lizalfos was stunned from the assault and dropped its dagger. Quickly, Zelda ran to where the dagger lay and picked it up herself. Now the enemy possessed no weapon. To finish it off, Zelda focused her energy into her arms. She thrust them forward, like she wanted to push the Lizalfos. She did not physically make contact with the monster; her shadow made contact with its shadow however, and her shadow pushed the Lizalfos off the edge of the cliff of the platform. Nothing about the arena changed after the first two foes fell, so Zelda assumed there would be more monsters; she was right, naturally.

This time, two Dinalfos appeared. These monsters were much more aggressive than their relative the Lizalfos. Both of the reptilian monsters wielded maces.

"This shall be fun. Come, let us play." Zelda narrowed her eyes and grinned as one of the Dinalfos fast approached her. Just as the enemy was going to lift the mace over its head to strike Zelda, she lunged forward with the dagger and drove it through the monster with the assistance of her magic. It staggered backward onto the cold stone platform. Quickly, she snatched the mace from the felled Dinalfos in order to face the second one which was not far behind. The monster hesitated slightly after seeing what happened to its friend.

"What, afraid of me? Get over yourself." Zelda angrily swung the mace she was wielding at the monster's head. The mace connected with the side of the monster's face, and it shrieked in pain. It staggered backwards.

"Good. I hope it hurts." She sneered, before starting to bludgeon the Dinalfos repeatedly. Blood began to flow from the monster's nose and face, and some got on Zelda's outfit, but she was still wearing her blood-stained outfit from earlier so it was not a huge concern. Eventually the monster collapsed onto the ground, lifeless. Zelda was breathing heavily because in her anger she relentlessly assaulted the Dinalfos. She looked at her badly beaten foe, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt for going overboard. But something in the back of her mind demanded, pleaded even, that she become even more aggressive.

_Princess… you are holding back. You have more Power than this. I know. You are capable of so much more. Just let go. If you join with me, nobody and nothing will be able to stop us. _

"I am capable… of so much more…?"

_Of course. It is a shame that you cannot watch me while I vanquish our foes. It is a thing of beauty._

"… Stop talking to me. I am not like… that…" Zelda struggled to get her words out. The influence of the other woman was becoming overwhelming. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed throughout the room. The crash broke the woman's concentration, giving Zelda full control again, though Zelda was spooked by the sound too.

"What the hell was that…?" She muttered as she looked around. It felt better not having the woman trying to take over her mind, but she was at ill ease due to her surroundings. Eventually, Zelda found the source of the noise; a group of Stalfos broke a pillar on the far side of the room. The pillar fell on the central platform which Zelda had been stuck on. The band of Stalfos warriors used the pillar as a bridge and began crossing it. Noticing that there was at least five, if not more Stalfos, Zelda began firing shot after shot of her magic at the skeletal warriors. The first one was not paying attention, and was hit directly by Zelda's attack. The monster staggered and fell backwards on top of the next warrior in line. One of the warriors in the back grew impatient from the interruption, and jumped clear over the wreckage. It charged straight at Zelda!

"Ah, I have never met a foe so eager to become acquainted with its own demise!" Zelda chuckled to herself as she prepared to face off with this admittedly impressive adversary. The warrior immediately lunged at her with its jagged, bloodied sword. Zelda erected a magical barrier between her and the sword; the sword bounced harmlessly off of the shield. This greatly annoyed the Stalfos. Unexpectedly, the skeleton began relentless head butting the magical shield. Zelda stepped back, a little nervous. It was unusual for Stalfos to engage in combat with anything besides swordsmanship. Within moments, the warrior shattered the barrier. It looked triumphant for a moment before trying to attack Zelda again. Zelda quickly jumped back from the sword's trajectory. In the split second after the skeletal warrior tried to attack her and failed, Zelda used the opening the monster left to grab its shadow. The monster tried to fight back against Zelda's influence, and for a moment, Zelda was afraid it was going to win. But the thought of failing was utterly unacceptable to her. She pushed extra power into her arms, allowing her to get a firm grip of the skeleton's sword-wielding arm. With a dramatic swing, Zelda imitated running a sword through her head. The skeleton responded to her movements by raising its sword above its head and running it through its own skull. The beast collapsed. Zelda did not notice it until now, but she was panting and sweat was trickling down her face. She hastily rubbed her forehead with the back of her head.

"What… next…" She gasped. All too soon, she got her answer. The heavy clanking of armor reverberated throughout the room. Zelda suddenly felt sick when she realized what was coming.


	12. 11 More Trouble Requires More Heroes

A/N: Was that mean? Sorry… had to!

A/N: Read and review? Please~?

Eventually, Zelda's foe came into view. Of course, her foe was an Iron Knuckle.

_Dammit… I wonder if she knows about the incident I had earlier…_ Zelda cursed her luck, but knew that she had to come up with something.

_I need a weapon like the Iron Knuckle. That would make things easier… _Zelda thought, glancing around quickly. Without a moment's pause, she pulled the long, jagged sword of the Stalfos out of its fractured skull. She gave it a few practice swings, and stared intently at the walking armor which was getting closer. Finally, the Iron Knuckle was mere feet in front of her. She felt a little faint, and noticed that she was shaking slightly. Her nerves were getting the better of her. The Iron Knuckle, naturally, took no notice of any internal crises that Zelda was grappling with; the enemy swung its sword widely before it. Zelda quickly jumped out of the way, and dashed back up to the Iron Knuckle to strike while there was an opening. The enemy was extremely slow to react, and suffered a direct hit by the sword she borrowed. It staggered a bit, but did not waste time staging a counterattack. Zelda quickly fell back to avoid the attack. If she got hit just once, she feared that she would be unable to continue the fight against her foe.

The two slowly circled each other and took turns swinging at one another and guarding against the blows of their foe. Zelda could feel her energy draining fast; she was already tired from earlier, and she had not been able to rest between the battles.

_Are you tired? Hm? How about I take over? I can take care of him in no time._

"Shut it." Zelda snapped at the voice in her head. She was not in the mood.

_Hm, hm, so rude. Well, I guess I will just let you bleed to death when it hits you._

"You say that, but you and I know very well that you would never let me die while you reside in my body. I am not stupid." Zelda retorted. The voice did not respond right away.

_Be that as it may… this foe of yours is not any closer to perishing. And you cannot keep this up forever._

"Watch me."

_Hm, hm, hm. I must admit that your defiance is enthralling. You remind me of myself._

"Do not… don't you dare. Compare me to you!" Zelda yelled. Her frustration was nearly palpable.

_Ahahaha, yes… you are so easy to provoke. I cannot believe such a perfect host exists._

That comment particularly made Zelda's blood boil, but the Iron Knuckle unexpectedly lunged at her with its sword. Without thinking, Zelda threw the sword she was using up between herself and the Iron Knuckle. The swords clashed together. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she suspected that the Iron Knuckle would be able to push right past her pitiful defense. Surprisingly, it seemed as though the two were locked in a stalemate; each one pushed against the other, hoping to stagger their foe to create an opening.

_You are so careless. He could have run you through. Be thankful that I am lending you my power._

"I do not need you to bail me out, okay? This is _my_ foe." Zelda said forcefully as she suddenly grabbed the shadow of the Iron Knuckle. It instantly struggled against her, making manipulation difficult at best. All Zelda could manage was to wrestle the Iron Knuckle's weapon away from it. She tossed the sword somewhere behind her.

"Th-there… now… you are not… such a big threat." Zelda muttered, panting. She was nearly spent. Suddenly, her other half tried to force her to forfeit control.

"Agghh, no…! I want to stay myself! No, no, no…! Z-zukto, help me…!" Zelda cried, struggling to remain conscious. Her head felt like it was being crushed; the pressure was so great. There was no two ways about it; the amount of power her other half possessed was increasing every day, and she already had a lot to begin with. Suddenly, as if on cue, Zukto appeared in the arena! He looked around and saw Zelda practically writhing in pain from the influence of her other half; he instantly grew concerned. The Iron Knuckle had, when Zelda could not watch it, retrieved its lost weapon.

Zukto knew he had to act quickly in order to save Zelda. He first drew the Iron Knuckle's attention away from Zelda. Then he remembered, a bit too late, that he was at a distinct disadvantage against his foe; the Iron Knuckle was slower, but it powerfully swung its massive weapon in a wide arc in front of itself whenever Zukto got too close. In addition, his arrows could not pierce the solid armor of his foe. After dodging several swings, he noticed the sword that Zelda took from the Stalfos laying at her side. She dropped it when she started to struggle with her other half. Zukto quickly ran to her to pick it up. He felt guilty for leaving her side as quickly as he appeared, because it was apparent that her condition was not improving, but he could not allow the Iron Knuckle to get too close to her when she was practically defenseless.

When he was far enough away from Zelda, Zukto swung his new-found weapon at the Iron Knuckle to make sure its attention stayed with him. He wanted to make sure he established himself as the threat. They began circling each other, swinging their blades when they thought they had an opening. But more often than not, Zukto missed. He was not trained to wield swords, and he was nervous to make matters even worse. He needed to get closer to connect his blows, but the Iron Knuckle was too great a threat at closer ranges. Feeling a bit pressed for options, Zukto did the first thing that popped into his head.

"Zelda! You have to get up! I need your help!" He called out. Zelda did not respond to him, though she was still conscious and realized that he needed her. She was still desperately fighting with her other self. When Zukto's voice reached her, the pain in her head miraculously subsided. She could think clearly.

"I have had ENOUGH!" Zelda yelled suddenly, startling Zukto. Her voice echoed throughout the arena, and a strange burst of energy helped her fight off her mental assailant. She stood up, fully alert and in control once again. Her eyes blazed with triumph.

"Zukto, do not give up! I am rejoining the battle!" She replied earnestly. She charged up an orb of energy and fired it at the Iron Knuckle's head. It was not expecting the attack, and staggered slightly.

"Zukto, you have to disarm it! Now!" Zelda ordered. Zukto agreed with his partner's strategy. He quickly struck the armor once, twice, and then a third time. The third time, he knocked the Iron Knuckle's weapon out of its right arm.

"Good work! Now let us finish it together." Zelda finally joined Zukto by his side. He smiled with relief.

"I am glad that you are better, Princess. Was it your other self again?" He could not hide the concern in his voice, but Zelda was not really paying attention.

"Yes, but it is thanks to you that I was able to fight her off. Speaking of a fight, we have a fight to finish ourselves. We should not waste any more time." Zelda quickly grabbed the shadow of the Iron Knuckle's weapon and gave it a practice swing. The enemy started backing up, understanding that it was in danger. Zelda, growing accustomed to the weight of her newly acquired weapon, gave chase. The Iron Knuckle tried to run, but the weight of its armor prevented it from making much progress. Zukto cut it off, to assist Zelda. While it glanced around the arena, looking for a way out of its predicament, Zelda went on the offensive. She threw her weight into her swings, swinging her enemy's own weapon at it. She struck it several times. It staggered backwards, but was still alive. With a final burst of strength, she ran her enemy through. Slowly, the Iron Knuckle sank to its knees and collapsed on the ground. When it lay on the cold ground silently, Zelda fell to her knees.

"We… we… won… right?" Zelda panted. She felt the sweat dripping from her face, something she had been completely unaware of until now. The adrenaline in her system was dying down, and she felt mentally and physically exhausted. Hastily, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Just then, a dark cocoon appeared and unraveled itself, revealing Wrath.

"So you vanquished your foe?" Wrath asked. Zukto raised an eyebrow when he studied Wrath. At least Nari _looked_ human; Wrath could not pass for a human in any sane person's mind.

_This must be Zelda's equivalent of Nari. But why did I get stuck with someone so hyperactive?_

"Wrath… Thank the Goddesses… you are here…" Zelda was still trying to catch her breath.

"You have finished here according to Master Impa, so come with me." Wrath said, seemingly ignoring Zelda's condition. He made no verbal acknowledgement of it, and his voice did not contain a hint of concern as far as Zukto could hear. He realized then how similar the two were, but he felt bad for Zelda regardless.

"Wrath, is it? I will get her. I think she is too exhausted to move much." Zukto hurriedly went to Zelda and picked her up. He felt like if he took too long, Wrath would scold him. When Zukto had Zelda in his arms, Wrath outstretched one of his hands.

"Take my hand, Zukto." Wrath commanded.

_Wait, how does he know my name? Eh, I guess it doesn't matter much anyway._

Zukto approached Wrath, but a thought suddenly dawned on him. Grabbing Wrath's outstretched hand, while carrying Zelda, would be nigh-impossible. He quickly came up with a solution, however.

"Princess, please take his hand." Zukto requested. She wordlessly extended a hand and linked it with Wrath's. The same cocoon of darkness that signaled his arrival appeared to envelop the three of them and carried them away from the arena.

When Zukto's vision restored itself, he saw that they were standing before a woman. Zelda was still in his arms, though unresponsive. Zukto panicked mentally, but his misgivings must have been written on his face because the woman spoke suddenly.

"Zukto, do not worry. The Princess is fine." She spoke very matter-of-factly, but there was a hint of a calming smile on her otherwise stern face.

"… Y-you're right. She's fine… I just… why am I here?" Zukto asked, confusion clearly etching itself into his features. The woman looked surprised briefly, but the surprise did not last long.

"Zelda called out to you when she was in danger, Zukto. She somehow was able to transport you here, it seems. I did not expect her to be capable of that so soon."

"W-what do you mean…? Sorry, things are just incredibly unclear for me right now… but excuse my awful manners; what is your name? You clearly already know me."

"My name is Impa. I am the Master of Shadow. Do not worry; I am not so full of myself that I expected you to know who I was. We Sages, if we live according to the teachings of the Gods, do not boast about our accomplishments or positions. We must live detached from everything else, because attachment to superfluous things blinds us from the work that is most important. While we are speaking, I must explain something that may impact your mission. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Sage Impa."

"Zelda, the Princess from your time, is fighting with herself. I think the both of us can agree that each time she has an 'attack,' it is worse than the one that came before it. A being of terrible power grows inside her. Zelda's power is growing as well, but the levels of growth between her and her other self are unequal against Zelda's favor. In other words, Zelda is losing the struggle. Based on how things are escalating, she can no longer deal with this situation on her own. You must help her, Zukto. You might be the only one who can."

"Help? I need to help her? But how? I barely even…" Zukto felt depressed suddenly, because he could only think about how much he did not know about his friend. She spent so much of her time shutting everyone out, and apparently this habit of hers was beginning to negatively impact her life in a big way.

"You must find my successor; the one who works in the Shadow Temple of your time period. She will have a better idea of what to do. I apologize, but I cannot help you here. We are too isolated from your world and time, so my powers here will not be of much use where you need to return to. As I understand it, my successor is Zelda's teacher. I am proud that the descendants of the Shadow Temple still report to the Royal Family. This will be of great benefit to you. Speaking of great benefits… Wrath?"

"Yes, Master?"

"You will accompany Zelda and Zukto. I know that you will be of greater assistance to them than you can be for me."

"Master, your idea is one befitting your wisdom. I shall join them and keep watch. Shall I report back to you, should something happen?"

"Yes; now go. There is important work for them to continue in the Desert Colossus." Zukto noticed Impa, and the world around him, disappearing in a haze.

Zukto sat upright with a start. He quickly looked around the room to figure out where he was. All of the inter-realm traveling was messing up his sense of location and direction. The room appeared to be the very same one he was in before he passed out. No one else was in the room for him, save Princess Zelda; she appeared to be out of it still.

… _Was that whole thing a dream… or…_ Zukto thought, running a hand idly through his hair. At any rate, what Impa said was right; they had important work to do. Zukto approached Zelda and gently nudged her shoulder.

"Hey, Princess, we need to go…" He muttered softly. He heard a groan in response, and Zelda stirred.

"… Zukto, is that you?" She muttered, sitting up. Immediately, she raised a hand to her head and sighed. Slowly, she opened her eyes as if afraid the light from the Temple would hurt her eyes.

"Yes."

"I feel so worn out. Though I guess I should not be surprised; I have had similar experiences before."

"Similar… experiences? Before? You've been…" Before Zukto could finish his thought, he heard girlish giggling and a new weight on his shoulders. He knew what was up without even looking back.

"Nari… hello." Zukto tried to be polite, but he failed to hide the annoyance in his voice. Nari was either oblivious or simply unfazed; her behavior persisted.

"Zukto! You remember me! You are such a good student!" She declared, beaming. Zelda was watching the spectacle, unable to hide the look of confusion mixed with indignation that overcame her ordinarily stoic face. Zukto noticed something, and did not want Zelda to feel left out of the party.

"Princess, behind you…" Zukto muttered. Wrath was standing behind her. Zelda looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Wrath? You are here? Why?"

"Princess, when you were unconscious after the fight, Master Impa commanded that I accompany you on your quest. Use me as you see fit. I am bound to serve you. It also appears as if the Spirit Brat is joining us too." Wrath's voice changed ever-so-slightly when he mentioned Nari. Zelda and Zukto both looked intrigued. Nari dislodged herself from Zukto and put her hands on her hips in protest; she looked grumpy.

"Wrath, you are so mean! I am not a brat!" Nari whined. It was apparent that the two knew each other because of how familiarly they spoke together.

"Only brats whine. You would think that after several centuries, someone in your position would outgrow such childish behavior." He taunted. Nari pouted even more.

"Hey… we have to find the artifact here…" Zukto reminded everyone, trying to get them to stop. Everyone quieted, thankfully. Nari ran off first, followed by Zukto, Zelda, and finally Wrath. They approached the two doors that had been locked earlier. Now, they were unsure of what to do.

"Can we just pick a door, or is there something very specific for us to do here?" Zelda asked. Zukto thought to himself for a moment.

"Might I offer a suggestion? I see that this door here is marked with a symbol. It is too dirty to discern, however. Try cleaning it off." Wrath said.

"I will clean it." Zukto offered, not wanting Zelda to do it. He rubbed his hand over the door, leaving trails where dust used to be. He eventually found something red under the layers of dust, so he focused on clearing off the red pattern. Eventually, a painted red eye looked at the travelers from the door.

"What does this mean?" Zukto asked.

"You understand it, do you not Princess?" Wrath asked. Zelda looked at the back of her left hand, on her brace. The Sheikah symbol stared back at her.

"Zukto, we must split up." Without a second to spare, Zelda disappeared behind the door with the red eye. Zukto wanted to chase her, to call out to her to get her to stop… but he knew it was useless. He left through the opposite door.

As Zelda looked around the next room, she noticed someone fighting some Dinolfos further towards the opposite end of the room. He appeared to be a skilled swordsman, because he knew exactly when to go on the offensive and when to switch to defensive maneuvers against his reptilian foes. He carried a large shield in his right hand, while he wielded a sword with his left. Zelda thought it curious that he was wearing all green, but thinking about what he was wearing made her remember about herself with a start. He did not know her, she did not know him, and she was worried what sort of reaction he might have towards her face. She quickly pulled her cloak on over her shoulders and covered her face with her hood. The person finished off his foe, and with a dramatic flourish, sheathed his sword. He noticed Zelda standing off a ways, and paused for a moment as if deciding what to do. Curiosity got the better of him, clearly; he began to approach the cloaked figure.

"You there; why have you come here? This is no place for civilians. You should leave; it is dangerous." He said sternly.

"I should say the same to you." Zelda responded guardedly.

"I am a swordsman. I can defend myself, so I do not worry about the danger." He was now standing directly in front of her. Zelda noticed his piercing blue eyes, and blonde hair. His ears were long like hers; so he was a Hylian too. Unexpectedly, Zelda felt a blush creep up her face.

_Ah! What is wrong with me? _

"I do not shy from danger, either; I am a practitioner of magic." She explained. The man carefully watched her. He seemed to be watching for something specific; it must have been hard because he could not see her face, or any other part of her body for that matter.

"Why do you hide your face, stranger?" He asked suddenly. Zelda was completely taken aback by the question, and was silent for a while.

"I do not see why I hide my face is any of your concern, swordsman." Zelda replied tersely.

"It is a little… suspicious." The swordsman countered, narrowing his eyes slightly. Zelda frowned, though he could not see.

"You find me suspicious? Will you fight me, then? If you do, I should warn you that Nabooru will come to my aid."

"Nabooru? Oh… I do recall that some Gerudo guards mentioned that Nabooru, their leader, already made her way to the Spirit Temple. So you work with her, then? I personally have never met the Gerudo leader."

"Why are you here then? The Spirit Temple is a sacred place." Zelda asked. The man looked at her for a bit, as if weighing his options. He outstretched his hand, and his previously serious face was lightened by a smile.

"My name is Link. I received a message from the Goddesses that I must inspect this place." Zelda's perception of the man before her did a complete about-face when he mentioned the Goddesses. Immediately, she offered him her hand so they could shake. It was not something she was accustomed to doing, since she was royalty, but she did not want to be treated differently from common Hylians. When their hands almost touched however, the Triforce of Wisdom on the back of her right hand suddenly lit up. She flinched slightly. Just as her Triforce lit up, it appeared as though the same thing happened to Link!

"Ah! That is… you are the bearer of the Triforce of Courage!" Zelda exclaimed.

"And so it seems that you are the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom." Link remarked, highly amused.

"So… are you… the Legendary Hero?"

"Well, I suppose I am related to the Heroes of Time and Wind that the legends describe, but I personally have done nothing that I consider to be heroic. Perhaps, if I continue to follow the directions of the Gods, I will find out whether or not I am truly a hero. But… enough about me… The Gods actually told me to find you, the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. Now that I have found you… may I have your name?"

"My name is… Zelda."

"Zelda? That means… you are the Princess of Hyrule, are you not?"

"Y-yes, I am." When Zelda answered, Link kneeled down before her.

"I apologize for behaving so rudely to you, Princess. Had I known who you were to begin with…"

"Stop, Link. I… I order you to rise. Do not humble yourself in front of me. You are my equal; there is no need to treat me differently just because of who my father is." Zelda explained. Link looked up at her, clearly surprised. But he smiled again as he stood up.

"You… are a very noble, and just, Princess. If you are to be our Queen, why… Hyrule shall flourish like never before." Zelda was nearly stunned into silence; she did not know what to say.

"Princess, is everything okay?"

"Y-yes. Sorry. I was just thinking… anyway, I am not here alone. You must meet my partners."

With that, Zelda left through the next door. Link followed closely behind her.

Zukto was already with Nabooru and Kyoshiro. The pair of them found a dead end earlier, and decided it was best if everyone met up before they discussed strategies to move forward.

"So… you two have not been here too long, right?"

"Don't worry about us. We're fine." Kyoshiro waved off Zukto's concern.

"Thank you for the consideration Zukto, but I have a feeling that time moved differently in the realm you were in, as opposed to how time moves here in Hyrule. You may have been gone for what seemed to be several hours, but in fact it was only a few minutes for us. Anyway, Kyoshiro and I had a bit of fighting to do to get this far. Right?" Nabooru seemed in pretty good spirits.

"Of course. But the fighting was simple. I could have done it with both of my hands tied." Kyoshiro bragged. Nabooru chuckled.

"… Where is the Princess? She left before I did, but somehow…" Zukto started.

"The Princess is over there!" Nari suddenly shouted, scaring Nabooru and Kyoshiro.

"Who is that?!" Nabooru cried.

"Oh… this is… Nari. She worked for the original Sage of Spirit centuries ago, but when I trained with the Ancient Sage, her Master told her that she needed to accompany me on my journey. I know she is pretty gifted with magic, though I do not know all of what she is capable of." Zukto explained to his friends, feeling a bit exasperated. Nari giggled. Kyoshiro already looked annoyed with her. Zukto felt a bit stupid because he honestly forgot about her. She was so quiet up until a moment ago…

Just as Nari pointed out, Zelda was not far off. A door opened, and the cloaked figure stepped out from behind it. Zukto briefly wondered why she was wearing her full cloak again, until he caught sight of Link.

… _Who is that?_ Zukto narrowed his eyes a bit as he studied the stranger following Zelda. Zelda did not seem to pay the "stranger" any mind; she ran right up to everyone.

"Finally, we are reunited! For some reason, it feels like it has been a while!" Zelda declared. Everyone smiled at her because they could tell she was in a good mood, although Zukto's smile did not last long.

"Who is that?" He nodded in Link's direction, who was still heading towards the group.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce Link. He is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, and is related to the legendary Hero of Time. He was told to come here and investigate, so I figured we can all work together. We have the same goals, after all." As soon as Zelda finished the introduction, Nabooru sauntered up to Link.

"Hm, the Gods know how to pick their heroes." She flirted, smiling mischievously. Link looked taken aback at first, but he could not help but laugh. Next, Kyoshiro approached Link and held out his hand.

"I think you and I will get along; I respect fellow swordsmen. We should train together." Kyoshiro's eyes lit up in anticipation. Link eagerly shook Kyo's hand.

"I would like that. Thanks for having me." He looked very appreciative.

"Ah, yes, I suppose everyone needs names. Link, that woman is Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit. She is the Leader of the Gerudo tribe. The man who shook your hand is Kyoshiro. He is a bounty hunter in Hyrule. That girl who cannot keep still is Nari; she is helping us on the orders of her Master, who is the original Sage of Spirit. Oh yes, and speaking of Sages, this is Wrath…" Zelda paused, because Wrath was nowhere to be seen. When he heard his name, however, he practically rose from Zelda's shadow.

"I am the disciple of the original Sage of Shadow. I am Nari's counterpart." Wrath explained. Link was a bit taken aback by Wrath's red eyes. Zelda did not notice, because she was a bit mentally preoccupied with the person she still had to introduce.

"And that… is Zukto. He is our leader. The Gods told him that he had to find us…" Zukto was not sure if he was imagining things, but it seemed as if Zelda said his name in a different way than normal. It was… not stern, strict, condescending or abrupt. It was almost… but the activity of the group broke his train of thought.

"Everyone, I am pleased to meet you. I never realized such a diverse group of people had been called together to do the Gods' work. Together, we have a great chance at succeeding." When Link finished, several of the group members smiled at him. Zukto did not.

… _I do not trust him. Why does the Princess treat me like I have no idea what I am doing, and yet she believes every word that comes out of this guy's mouth?! I do not like this at all._

"Well, since we are all together again, what is our plan of attack?" Zelda asked. Everyone looked at one another, and then at Zukto. Zukto was instinctively going to protest, but then he remembered he was their leader. So he looked around carefully. There was a large door nearby, but it seemed impossible to open. There were no handles, no levers, no buttons, and no locks.

"I think we can all agree that we must move behind this door. But _how_ we do that… must be explored further." Zukto muttered out loud.

"Well… I see that there is a statue of an Iron Knuckle guarding this door. Off to the left there. And now, look opposite that Iron Knuckle… there is a pedestal here. I have a feeling that there used to be _two_ Iron Knuckles at this door." Link observed. Everyone followed his explanation, and there was a general murmur of agreement.

"So… we have to find the missing Iron Knuckle and guide it to its post. Fine." Zukto ran off, back through the door he originally came from. Everyone watched him leave, wondering what to do.

"We can stay. He doesn't need, nor want, our help." Kyoshiro said matter-of-factly.

"…How is he going to move a statue of an Iron Knuckle all by himself? Those things are heavy!" Nabooru looked confused.

"I don't know, nor care to be honest. Look, he ran off pretty determined to get this done so let's just see what happens. Zukto is no fool; you all know that quite well. I think he has an idea." Kyoshiro replied. Zelda thought what Kyoshiro said seemed strange at first, but it was almost as if Kyoshiro was supporting Zukto in his own weird way.

After passing the time with idle chatter for a bit, a strange clunking noise reverberated throughout the room. Everyone looked at one another to see if someone knew what the source of the noise was. Suddenly, a huge bell-shaped object lowered itself from the ceiling. It stopped on the empty pedestal that was supposedly the home of an Iron Knuckle statue. The bell-shaped object glowed briefly, before slowly ascending back to its original home on the ceiling. As it ascended, it revealed something that was hiding underneath it—an Iron Knuckle statue was now positioned on the pedestal!

With the partner statue returned to its post, the door lit up with the symbol of the Spirit Temple and magically opened itself for the travelers.

"Ah! So Zukto had a plan after all!" Nabooru chuckled. She seemed rather impressed.

"Told ya." Kyoshiro grunted.

After a few moments, Zukto returned to the group.

"Shall we press on? I see that our idea worked." He appeared satisfied with the outcome.

"Excellent work, Zukto." Zelda said appreciatively. Zukto was taken aback, but moved by her kindness.

"Oh, you know, it's just my job. Any of us would have done it…"

Everyone filed through the now open doors. Apprehension was settling on the group, because everyone had a feeling that their next challenge would be none other than the boss monster.

"Something awaits us." Zelda stated seriously.

"What do you sense, Princess?" Zukto asked.

"Whoever—or whatever it is—is very strong. This shall be a tough battle." She was intently staring off into the distance, likely in the direction of their foe. Link, their newest ally, looked a bit worried.

"Have you already fought equally dangerous foes?"

"Yes. We fought a powerful dragon in a distant land." Zelda responded.

"A distant land? You mean you left Hyrule? I did not realize that was even possible."

"Well, we were only able to leave with the assistance of the Goddesses."

"That is enviable. When we have time, you must recount the tale of your journey." Link requested.

"That can be arranged." Zelda smiled briefly, but she was more focused on the fight ahead of them. Zukto felt uneasy suddenly when he imagined the two of them spending extra time together.

"Alright heroes, enough chatter!" Nabooru declared, pressing forward. Zukto let Kyoshiro pass him by so that he could be closer to the Princess. But naturally, Link flanked Zelda closely so Zukto could not be as near as he liked. He was getting annoyed with Link, but he could not just tell Link to go away. Zelda brought him along after all.

As the group walked down the hallway, Zelda finally removed her large cloak in anticipation of the upcoming battle. Link was struck by her appearance. She was literally unlike any person he had seen before, due to her long, dark hair and her sharp, red eyes. It did not take him long to figure out the mark around her left eye was a scar. Everything about her seemed mysterious, and he was really curious about her.

"Princess, tell me… how did you come upon that scar?" He asked.

"… I cannot talk about it." Zelda answered abruptly.

"I understand. But if you ever want to talk, I will be here. And you have my full confidence."

"Thank you." Zelda replied, but she was barely engaged in their conversation. She was not really paying attention to anyone, but did not know how to politely excuse herself from interacting with anyone at the moment. Link did not seem to notice her distance from the group, but Zukto did. He was relieved that he noticed she wanted to be left alone to her thoughts, unlike Link. But his careful attention to her was unrecognized. Nabooru suddenly stopped ahead.

"We are here. Just behind this final door…" She looked at everyone expectantly.

"There is no point in waiting here any longer." Zelda said looking more determined than ever. She broke away from everyone else to lead the way into the lion's den.

As soon as Zelda entered the room, the ground shook violently. She steadied herself during the tremors, and kept her gaze ahead of her. Slowly, three Iron Knuckles rose up from the depths of the sand. The suit of armor in the middle was much larger than the two Iron Knuckles flanking it.

"… Princess, are you going to be okay…?" Zukto asked hesitantly.

"I am fine. How are we fighting these things?"

"Um, well…" Zukto had to admit that he did not have a plan, although he thought that his new ability might be useful; if he ever had time to use it. Link drew his blade solemnly, and looked at Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro followed Link's lead to arm himself, but he did not look as serious as his teammates. Nabooru was the only one who did not arm herself.

"This is not my fight. I will remain here, however, in case something goes awry. Zukto, you have been my student for long enough… this is your final test as far as I am concerned. I must see what you are capable of."

"Understood, Master Nabooru."

"Go on now! Make me proud!" Nabooru shouted as she dashed away from the group. Zukto turned his attention back to the group.

"Okay, so, I feel like…" Zukto started, observing the battlefield. "I feel like the smaller Iron Knuckles will interfere with our efforts to fell the big one. Therefore, we must draw the smaller enemies away from the larger one. Not only that; we must keep the big one at bay. It could easily take us out with a single blow. So…"

"So we need a distraction?" Zelda asked.

"Well… yes. More or less."

"I am on it. Go; you three must defeat the smaller Iron Knuckles." Zelda looked seriously at Kyoshiro, Link, and Zukto when she gave them their mission. Kyoshiro and Link immediately closed in on the nearest Iron Knuckle. Zukto stayed behind, looking at Zelda almost pleadingly.

"Stop, Zukto. I have to do this. I defended you against dragons. Please give me this chance to defend you again."

"… Be careful." He was reluctant to let her go by herself, but he knew he could not dissuade her. With his permission, Zelda headed to her target. Zukto turned his attention to the Iron Knuckle already grappling with Kyoshiro and Link. By this time, enough of the enemy's armor had been knocked off so Zukto's arrows could inflict damage. When the Iron Knuckle was fully outfitted, Zukto's arrows would harmlessly bounce off the thick armor. It was not long before the Iron Knuckle fell to its knees and collapsed on the ground; the three heroes defeated the first one. They switched targets.

Zelda stood before her gargantuan foe, amazed by its size. Its size was not the only anomaly; the armor style was not the same. There was also a weapon lodged in its chest.

_I think… I should remove that weapon._ Zelda thought to herself.

Oddly enough, the big Iron Knuckle had not actually moved the entire time it sat in the arena. It almost seemed lifeless. Zelda noticed its shadow, so she resorted to her old trick; she grabbed onto the shadow of the large armored being. She directed its own arms to raise, and pull the weapon out of its resting place. Immediately, Zelda noticed how difficult it was to control her foe due to its weight. But the weapon came out without much problem. As soon as the monster was free of the foreign object, it sprung to action. Quickly, Zelda had to move out of the way of a preemptive swing by her massive foe. The weapon crashed into the ground, creating a large crater on impact and spreading debris everywhere.

Zukto noticed the disturbance and felt uneasy. But he had to focus on the enemy he already engaged. Somehow, the second Iron Knuckle they fought with could move faster than the first one even while still suited in its armor.

Zelda moved quickly and quietly through the cloud of debris and dust that the soldier stirred up after its first attack. She kept her eyes on it, searching for a weak point. Luckily, it was not hard to figure out; the weapon she removed earlier had left a permanent wound in its chest. She still had to devise a way to take advantage of her newly acquired knowledge, but she was not in a hurry.

The Iron Knuckle did not wait for the dust to settle before it began to move about the arena. Zelda was on her guard because her opponent could crush her flat without even using its weapon against her. Again, as if guided by something, it swung its powerful weapon in Zelda's direction. This time, she conjured a magical barrier between her and the large axe. The swing was incredibly powerful, and the energy of it almost destroyed Zelda's barrier on contact. She maintained her concentration just long enough to make sure the barrier lasted until she was safe. Then she let it fade away. She was winded from the aftershock of the blow, but she escaped harm otherwise.

The weapon fell straight to the ground after the barrier faded. The large Iron Knuckle was struggling to pull its weapon back up; it seemed to be stuck in the ground. Zelda bided her time, studying the Iron Knuckle's progress; just as the weapon was coming loose, Zelda grabbed the Iron Knuckle's shadow and used its strength against itself. Her enemy recoiled after it pulled the weapon up, and Zelda used the recoil to push the axe back into its chest wound. The armored soldier fell to its knees, clearly affected by the blow it suffered. The group of men finally finished the smaller foe, so they hustled to join Zelda.

"Zelda!" Zukto yelled, unsure of where she was. The Iron Knuckle had disturbed the arena again, obscuring everyone's vision with dust. When the arena cleared enough for Zukto to see, he found Zelda standing a ways off from the enemy. She was clutching her right arm.

"Princess! Princess… Are you… okay? What happened…?" Zukto gasped as he approached her, slightly out of breath. Kyoshiro and Link caught up momentarily.

"I… I am fine. Just exhausted…" She sighed, pausing. "I had to take a couple of risks in order to inflict damage on that thing." She explained after she gave herself a minute to catch her breath.

"Well, we finished with the others. We can take over from here." Zukto quickly said, wanting Zelda to end her involvement in the fight. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt.

"Princess, you must get back before our foe moves this way." Link stated.

"It will not move. When its weapon is stuck in it like such, it is incapable of moving."

"…Then what do we do?" Link seemed confused, because he was not aware of Zelda's abilities.

"Give me just a moment more. I should have strength enough to reawaken it." Zelda closed her eyes and focused all of her attention inwardly. She raised her arms and acted as if she was grabbing something invisible in front of her. Zukto motioned to Link and Kyo to make sure no one's shadow was intertwined with the shadow of her target. Link watched, utterly fascinated, as she grabbed a hold of the Iron Knuckle's arms and directed her own arms at her heart. She acted as if she was pulling something invisible from her chest. The large Iron Knuckle imitated her. As she said, once the weapon had been removed, the Iron Knuckle was active once more.

_Dear Goddesses, that is one awesome, and terrifying, ability…_ Link thought gravely.

"Run!" Zelda cried as she fell back to avoid another swing of the axe. On impact with the ground, more dust and debris flew about. Everyone scattered to avoid chunks of the ground and their foe.

"Princess…!" Zukto called worriedly, unable to see her.

"Yes?" She called back faintly. Zukto could barely hear her; he figured she was not too close by. Again, he found himself wishing he had been born with the special Hylian ears that Kyoshiro, Link, and Zelda had. Due to their superior hearing, the other heroes found Zelda faster. Kyoshiro was the first person to reach her.

"I think Zukto needs you for something." He explained. Together, the two of them weaved their way through the settling dust and the wreckage caused by the fight. When everyone was together, the whole arena was visible once again.

"Ah Kyo, nice work finding her." Zukto smiled appreciatively.

"Let me guess; we need to distract this guy while you discuss a plan?" Kyo asked. Zukto nodded. Kyoshiro motioned at Link to follow him. Together, the two Hylian men engaged the Iron Knuckle.

"Princess, I apologize… but can I ask you to protect us once more?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded without saying anything. They quickly rejoined their friends in the battle.

"Everyone watch our foe closely and avoid the next swing it makes." Zelda commanded. She stood, rooted in place in front of the boss monster. Kyo and Zukto did as instructed; Link did not. Just as the gargantuan foe was lowering its deadly axe towards Zelda, Link ran at her. He grabbed her, fully intending to drag her out of harm's way, just as she erected her barrier to protect everyone. The barrier did protect them from the incoming impact of the axe for a brief moment, but Link broke Zelda's concentration. The barrier shattered all too soon because Zelda's attention had been divided and was not strong enough to resist the assault. The weapon crashed into the ground, just barely avoiding Zelda and Link. Zelda lost consciousness due to her unsuccessful attempt at maintaining her barrier. She fell, but Link caught her before she hit the ground. Zukto had not noticed any of this because Link and Zelda were behind him, and the weapon was too massive for him to see over or around.

"Kyo, lend me your sword a moment. I must draw in the sand." Kyo quickly complied, handing Zukto his weapon still sheathed.

"It's heavy." He warned. Zukto shrugged it off and drew the weapon from the sheath. True to Kyo's warning, the weapon was rather difficult to wield. But he was not going to fight with it. Pointing the blade at the ground, Zukto began to draw the image of the Spirit Temple in the sand. He passed back the sword when he completed his task and stood on his newly drawn diagram. He started to whistle an unfamiliar tune. While all of this was happening, the Iron Knuckle had been struggling to free its weapon. After the tune echoed throughout the arena, the Iron Knuckle suddenly stopped moving; so did Zukto.

Zukto eventually realized that his mind was no longer occupying his body. Instead, he was inside of the Iron Knuckle they had been fighting. He reached for the axe that had been stuck in the ground. With a bit of effort, he pried it out of the ground. He took the time to scan the arena. He could see where his partners were standing, but it was impossible to distinguish which of them was which due to his height. It was also hard to hear them.

"What… on?"

"The… won't… something…"

"What now?!"

They seemed to be on edge. Zukto tried to speak to them, but strange noises came out instead. Then he realized how dumb it was to assume that this Iron Knuckle could speak Hylian.

"… What the hell was that?!" Kyoshiro asked Link when he heard Zukto trying to speak. Link just shrugged.

"What can we do? We cannot communicate with Zukto it seems, and the Princess…" Link trailed off, looking down at Zelda. She was still unconscious in his arms. Kyoshiro looked worried.

"Well, we cannot stand around and just wait for something to happen. Wrath?" Link asked to the nearly empty area. Wrath appeared with a sudden flourish.

"I shall keep her safe." Wrath assured them, carefully taking Zelda up in his arms. Link and Kyoshiro took their leave to face their foe, but neither of them knew what exactly to do.

"The only thing that can injure our foe is its own weapon. But none of us have the strength, or the capability, to manipulate the weapon…" Link muttered with frustration. Kyoshiro stood for a moment, clearly mulling something over in his mind. Suddenly, he cupped his hands around his mouth.

"ZUKTO! ATTACK YOURSELF!" Kyoshiro yelled as loudly as he could, to get his friend's attention. Zukto heard Kyoshiro's suggestion, and turned his attention to the giant axe he was wielding. The thought of attacking himself was disconcerting, but he did not have any better ideas. Suddenly, Nari appeared on his shoulder.

"Zukto, do not worry! When the enemy falls, I shall help you!" Somehow, her words reassured Zukto. He began to swing the weapon at the body of the Iron Knuckle he was occupying. The first swing, when it made contact, felt like it was going to cleave Zukto's chest in two.

_Aaugh! I didn't realize I would experience this much pain!_ He thought, almost instinctively grabbing at his chest. But he remembered that he was not in his own body, so he swung at himself again instead. This time, the pain nearly made him black out. He realized that he was slowly losing control and his vision. The large Iron Knuckle was beginning to fall… Zukto lost consciousness.


	13. Filling in the Blanks for the Moment

**A/N**: I am going to stop listing the chapter number in the title, because the characters are pretty limited as it is. Just remember that this site is saying this is chapter 13, when it is actually chapter 12 (because I published a prologue). I hope you enjoy this newest installment! R and R? Please?

The Iron Knuckle collapsed to the ground with a huge crash, displacing dust, debris, and pieces of its armor. Wrath commanded everyone to gather around him as he erected a barrier to protect them from harm. When everything settled, Link was the first to step outside of the protection of the barrier to observe the arena. Zukto was lying on the ground, near where he had drawn the symbol of the Spirit Temple. Luckily his body appeared to be unharmed, though he was not moving. In their attempt to get away from the giant Iron Knuckle when it fell, no one had time to grab Zukto's body. Nari was beside him, muttering something quietly.

"How is he?" Link asked.

"Hm, well, not bad. But I can't really say he is great."

"…It is hopeful that he is not bad, then. Here… let me grab him." Link stooped down and hoisted Zukto onto his back.

"Kyo… take Zelda from Wrath why don't you?" Link suggested. Kyoshiro did as instructed, and Wrath disappeared again.

"Nabooru!" Nari called. Nabooru nimbly jumped down off the platform she had stationed herself on, and ran to catch up with everyone. She raised an eyebrow when she arrived due to the scene that greeted her. Link was carrying an apparently unconscious Zukto, and Kyoshiro an unconscious Zelda.

"What happened here?" She asked casually. She was concerned, but her voice did not reveal her concern.

"Well, I have a feeling that Zukto's condition is related to when he knocked himself out. I mean, he knocked out the boss monster we fought… but he was occupying the Iron Knuckle's mind when he did it." Link explained.

"And what about the Princess?"

"Well…" Link started to explain, feeling embarrassed because her condition was his fault.

"We have to find the next weapon." Kyoshiro spoke up.

"Too bad these two are out… but it can't be helped. Maybe they will come to before long." Link muttered.

"I see a hidden stair case that might have appeared after you vanquished your foe. Shall we find out where it takes us?" Nabooru observed, leading the way. Everyone solemnly proceeded down the stairs. As they neared the end of the stairway, Zelda began to stir.

"Aaahh, oh, my head…" She moaned, placing a hand on her forehead. Her eyes were still closed.

"Ah, Princess, you're up. You okay?" Nabooru asked.

"What…happened…"

"That's what I would like to know." Nabooru said, looking over at Kyoshiro and Link.

"Well, I feel like Zukto's condition was unavoidable…" Link began.

"Zukto…? Wait… something happened to him, too?"

"Yeah. He will be fine. He just had to take a risk during the fight to help us out. But in your case…"

"My case?"

"Princess, I owe you an apology. I believe your condition is because of me." Link could not hide the look of shame on his face.

"Do not… worry about it. I am here…" She sighed due to mental exhaustion.

"Well, like I said, do not stress about Zukto. Nari says he is fine." Link offered, trying to improve her mood.

"Good…" She was silent for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered what they had to do.

"Ah! So our foe… we won I presume? Where is the weapon?"

"We are looking for it. Perhaps we are near." Link answered.

"Kyoshiro, can you please… put me down? I can walk." Zelda asked. Kyoshiro set her down as requested. Nabooru let Link and Kyoshiro pass her so she could walk with Zelda. She wanted to make sure Zelda made it down the stairs in one piece. A door waited for the heroes at the bottom of the stairs.

"This has to be it." Kyoshiro said, stepping through the door first. He peered around to see if anything was waiting in ambush. He motioned to his friends to let them know that the coast was clear. Another decorated altar waited for the heroes, with something arranged on top of it.

Zelda approached the altar quietly, staring intently at the artifact. It appeared to be a mask. She carefully lifted the mask off the altar and studied it. Out of the mask's left eye, a red tear drop was painted.

_Ah! The symbol of the Sheikah! I wonder what it does… _She thought, running a slender finger around the mask. Kyoshiro approached her, and looked over her shoulder.

"So try it, why don't you?" He suggested. Zelda was truthfully curious, so she put the mask on. Her vision immediately blacked out, but something appeared before her that was unconnected to the Spirit Temple they were standing in. She could see Kakariko Village, and Impa, and the symbol of the Shadow Temple. Images flashed at her, disjointed and seemingly random. But they ended almost as soon as they began. Zelda's sight returned to her. She noticed that her breathing had sped up, and her face was beaded with sweat.

"Ah, that was…" Zelda muttered, removing the mask.

"What happened?" Kyoshiro asked. He looked unsettled, likely due to watching her.

"I… I think I saw… I may have seen visions of the future."

"Really?! How could you tell?"

"Well, I saw… I saw Kakariko Village… and… I did not…" She seemed incapable of finishing her thought out loud. She looked troubled and hurt.

Suddenly, Link felt Zukto stirring.

"Ah, he's up."

"What? Up? I don't understand…" Zukto muttered.

"I think you lost consciousness because of our fight."

"Shit, really? Anything else happen while I was out that I should know about?" He seemed more alert.

"Well… Zelda was unconscious too." Link hesitated to say it. He knew Zukto was going to freak out. But hiding the truth would just make the situation worse.

"What?! What happened?!"

"Zukto, calm down. I am right here." Zelda answered.

"… So we won then?"

"Naturally." Kyoshiro cut in.

"Ah, Nari… thanks for the help." Zukto said suddenly, remembering that she told him she was going to help him during the fight.

"Do you feel better now?" Link asked.

"Yes. Set me down, please. And thanks." Link crouched down so Zukto could get on the ground easily. He had a feeling that Zukto's temper was, for some reason, on a short fuse. Zukto immediately approached Zelda.

"What happened?"

"It… was just an accident. Stop worrying about it." Zelda replied. She did not look at him as she spoke. He did not seem satisfied with the answer, but he moved on to a different topic because she seemed unwilling to discuss the subject further.

"So, what is that?" He asked motioning at the mask Zelda was carrying.

"Well, this is the artifact we were searching for. I can see small glimpses of the future when I wear it."

"Hm, that sounds like it will be useful."

"It might be useful, if I can interpret the visions."

"I have faith in you." Zukto said, staring at Zelda intently. She returned his gaze, but something was nagging at the back of her mind. She ignored the feeling, unsure of how to interpret it.

"Well, I… suppose we should report to the Goddesses now." Zukto said suddenly, breaking his attention away from the Princess to address the group at large. Kyoshiro nodded.

"You know what this means, don't you? We must now part ways once again." Nabooru declared. Zukto nodded.

"It was a pleasure to work with you once again, Master Nabooru." Zukto bowed deeply.

"…Make me proud." Nabooru said suddenly, grinning mischievously. With that, and a friendly wave, she ran off.

Zukto, Zelda, Kyoshiro, Link, Wrath, and Nari all looked at one another.

"Come; let us go to the Temple of Time." Zelda suggested. Link looked curious, but followed wordlessly. The trip out of the Spirit Temple, away from the Desert Colossus, through the Gerudo Desert, and to the Gerudo Fortress occurred without incident and without much conversation. Back at the Gerudo Fortress, the day had given way to night.

"Ugh, again? I do not want to waste more time here this evening…" Zukto sighed, frustrated. Zelda looked around at everyone else, apparently assessing something.

"Maybe, well… is anyone against leaving now? If we go by horse, we can reach Hyrule Castle Town within several hours. The night is still young…" She offered. Kyoshiro shrugged.

"I am fine, but what about Link? We all brought horses here, but…"

"Kyoshiro, I thank you for your concern. Do not concern yourselves though; I also have a horse. Give me a moment." He carefully pulled out a small, egg-shaped instrument. He put one end of the instrument to his lips, and sound suddenly flowed from it. The sounds changed depending on the position of his fingers. When he finished the tune and withdrew the instrument from his lips, an excited whinny called out. Within a few moments, a chestnut-colored horse galloped up to the group. The horse stopped before Link.

"Everyone, this is Epona. She is one of my best friends." He explained, lovingly stroking her forelock.

"That was a lovely tune. What is it called?" Zelda asked.

"Epona's Song. Her first owner's mother created the song, and then when I befriended the family I learned the song myself. I first met Epona when she was a filly. I was unable to visit for many years, but when I returned all I had to do was play her song and she remembered me."

"That is… amazing." Zelda muttered, caught up in her thoughts. The story was… moving. Link mounted Epona, and looked around at his friends.

"Shall we take off? Where are your horses?" He asked. Zukto led the team to where the horses were cared for. Everyone mounted their horses, while Wrath remained in Zelda's shadow and Nari sat on the rump of Zukto's horse, facing away from him. At first he was worried about her, but he remembered her age and capabilities. It occurred to him that he would be better off worrying about himself.

"Let us go!" Zukto cried, squeezing his horse's sides. All of the horses kicked up a large cloud of dust as they sped off to the East, back towards the Castle.

Alarmingly, the heroes encountered monsters freely roaming Hyrule Field. Several times, the group was distracted from their goal because they felt obligated to dispatch as many monsters as possible. They could not help but imagine what would happen if these monsters were to wander into towns.

"Okay… now I feel tired… I am sorry… for suggesting that we press forward." Zelda muttered, sighing as they finished off a Dinolfos.

"Do not worry about it, Princess. You only asked on my behalf. None of us could have known…" Zukto trailed off.

"None of us could…" Zelda continued, pulling out the Mask. She stared at it briefly, before donning it. Immediately, she saw a large, dark orb, and many shadows crossing one another. Something appeared out of the overlapping shadows. She could not determine what was coming from the shadows, because the vision ended. She gasped as she regained her senses. Like last time, she felt a little tired and disoriented. Even using the powers of the Mask for mere moments was incredibly taxing.

"Princess? Are you okay? What did you see?" Zukto asked, concern written on his face.

"I saw… an orb… it was very dark… and there were shadows. So many shadows… Something was emerging from the shadows, but my vision ended before I could make sense of what it was." She explained carefully.

"An orb? That sounds strange… but we can't really figure anything out standing around out here. We finished with the beasts, so we don't we visit the Sage of Shadow for advice?" Zukto suggested.

"But what about meeting with Goddess Din? She is expecting us." Zelda pointed out.

"Of course, but I think She will understand if we address this issue first. After all… it affects all of us."

"You may be right. But I will never object to meeting with my Master. Come; I shall lead the way." This time, Zelda encouraged her horse to turn away from Castle Town and towards a small bridge that stood over a river. Though it was late in the evening, the moon illuminated their path. Conveniently, Kakariko Village was Castle Town's closest neighboring town.

The group entered the village quietly as per Zelda's instructions. She led them to a pasture, unlocked the gate, and motioned for everyone to lead their horses into it. After the horses were secured, she led the group down a small pathway and up a small flight of stone stairs. She quickly approached the door of the house sitting at the top of the hill and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened and a stern-looking woman appeared. As soon as she saw Zelda, her expression changed.

"Ah, Zelda. What brings you here, my student?"

"Master Impa, may we talk? The situation… has changed."

"Of course, my child. Come, and introduce the others." Impa held the door open to allow everyone to file through. She shut the door when everyone was inside, and turned to face the group. The room was silent for a moment as everyone watched Impa.

"Princess, I cannot help but notice your colorful group of friends." She mused.

"Master Impa, I was trying to conduct some private research after… after the incident. While I was doing so, this man…" Zelda paused, and looked at Zukto. He had been sitting, but he quickly rose when Zelda glanced at him.

"This is Zukto. He was met with visions from the Gods, and was told to gather allies. He found Kyoshiro first," here, she motioned at Kyoshiro with an arm, "and then afterwards, they found me. We discovered a secret meeting place for the Goddesses. There, we were directed to gather ancient weapons once used by the Gods. This journey took us first to a faraway land. We were met with many challenges in that strange land, but we triumphed. After our return, we were directed to the Gerudo Desert. There, we met Zukto's teacher who happens to be the Sage of Spirit, Nabooru. We were led to the Spirit Temple, where our second trial awaited. Naturally, we succeeded. But during the second trial, we found new allies. First, Wrath and Nari joined our team. They are the servants of the Shadow and Spirit Sages, respectively. Finally, the other swordsman Link joined us. He is the one the Gods chose to possess the Triforce of Courage. He also received a message from the Gods and was told to find me. So we are all serving the Gods, pursuing a mysterious foe and supposedly trying to prevent disaster from befalling this great Kingdom—my Kingdom." Zelda said the last part with great measure, almost with hesitation. Impa was silent the entire time, carefully studying Zelda as she spoke.

"You… have grown." She said in a very dignified manner. Zelda remained silent, averting her eyes.

"You, all of you, must rest. I understand that you have been fighting for this Kingdom and the Gods. It is late, and you have traveled far. I have room for all of you; worry not." Zelda helped Impa to direct the weary adventurers to guest rooms. After they finished, Zelda and Impa remained together alone.

"You have opened up far more than I could have hoped for." Impa observed quietly.

"… Do not get too excited, Master. I… none of them understand…" The Princess muttered, seemingly ashamed and upset.

"… You do not have to do everything at once. You are making progress, which is important. You can work at your own pace. Just remember that I support you… no matter what."

"… Yes. If I may, I would like to rest now." With a respectful bow, Zelda accused herself. Impa watched her attentively before retiring herself. She had a feeling that further discussion would be necessary.

Zukto slept lightly because his brain was too active. There were too many questions that needed answers, and he suddenly remembered what the Ancient Sage told him. She told him to find the Impa of his era. Now, he was staying with the very Impa he needed to find. He got up finally, after hours of contemplation. He wandered aimlessly around Impa's home in the dark. He could not locate her. While wondering what to do next, he realized that perhaps Impa would be praying or working in the Temple. He quietly left the house, and made his way around town. He had no idea where anything was, but the village was quite small. Zukto noticed a strange feeling as he passed near an old-looking well. Something was hanging heavily on his heart, but he did not understand what. Was it the somber darkness and stillness of the town? Was it his misgivings about his situation? He felt compelled to peer into the well; he could neither see the bottom of it, nor his own reflection, because of the darkness. Instead, he looked up to the sky. There seemed to be a faint glow on the horizon.

_So the sun will be up in a while… ah, I still need to find Impa._ Still determined, Zukto set himself back on track. He noticed a small, somewhat hidden pathway he had not already explored; he began to follow it. It was rather unremarkable. At the end of the pathway, Zukto noticed a figure slowly pacing around among tombstones. He realized that he had found the graveyard, and the figure was likely the grave keeper. Zukto approached the man.

"Excuse me sir, I am visiting with a few friends here. Who is buried here?"

"Well… we've many commoners from the Village. But also… special graves are marked."

"Special graves?"

"Aye, servants of the Royal Family mostly."

"Oh, I see. May I look around for a bit?"

"'Course. I'll be around."

Zukto wordlessly wandered around the Graveyard, eyeing the stone markers. Many of the names or messages were meaningless to him, except a few graves marked for Impa's family. Zukto honestly felt very out of place. He stood in the center of the Graveyard, and looked around. Suddenly, he noticed someone else kneeling before a grave. The person was a ways off, so Zukto thought the other individual did not yet know of his presence. He stayed quiet so as not to scare the other visitor. As the area grew lighter with the slowly rising sun, Zukto realized that the person he was watching was Princess Zelda. He immediately thought to join her, to ask her what she was doing, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, and was surprised to be face-to-face with Impa.

"Ah, Sage Impa…"

"Shh, come child." Impa directed Zukto away from the Graveyard and Zelda. He really wanted to stay with her, but he was glad that Impa found him. When they were a ways from the Graveyard, Impa turned to face Zukto.

"I am sorry for the interruption Zukto, but Zelda… is doing something very personal right now. You must give her space."

"Very personal?"

"Do you know what she endured as a child?"

"Her parents here… oh! So…" Zukto's face lit up with recognition momentarily but quickly became somber.

"Ah, so you do know. Well, this is slightly better than I anticipated. What exactly do you know about the Princess?"

"The Princess… I know that she was born of the Royal Family. Despite this, she grew up here in Kakariko Village as a member of a different family. She was never told her true identity. Suddenly, one day, she found her parents… murdered…" Zukto stopped here momentarily, feeling a heavy weight on his heart. Impa understood his misgivings, but she looked expectant. He did not keep her waiting too long.

"She became your student when she was very young. Since she had lost who she believed were her biological parents, you became a new parent-figure for her. She worked very hard, and still does today, because she wanted to prove herself. Normal people let traditions and society stop them from succeeding, but nothing stops Zelda. She… found the man who murdered her parents. She fought him, and because of it she is…" This time, Impa was the one who looked upset.

"… Zukto, I must ask your forgiveness. I… told Zelda where Ganondorf was. I was fully aware of what she intended to do when she found him; despite this I let her go anyway… I even knew that she stood no chance against the Great King of Evil with the experience she had."

"Despite… despite my fears about her current condition… I cannot blame you, Sage Impa. She is, and was at the time, an adult. She did as she wanted. We both know that her desire to pursue her parents' killer would drive her crazy. It would eventually consume her. Granted, her desire for revenge is still strong, but I am hopeful that we can influence her to soften her hardened heart. Actually, since we are talking about her… I wanted to ask for your help."

"…Zukto… I cannot believe how much you know about her. This is quite remarkable… everything you say is true. Now that I am more at ease, what is it that you would ask of me?"

"I want to help the Princess fight against her other self. I was told to come find you, because you might have the power to ease the situation." Impa listened to him intently.

"Hm… take my arm." Impa held out an arm to Zukto. He quickly grabbed it as instructed, and the two of them were enveloped in darkness that carried them away. They arrived in a dark room.

"This is the Shadow Temple. Well, part of it at any rate. This is where Zelda trained under me when she was young." Impa explained.

"Why have you brought me here?"

"I want you to look around for a bit while I look for something. Try to understand her life." Impa left in a hurry.

Zukto looked around quietly. The room he was left in appeared to be a library of sorts. Desks were stationed around the room, with parchment and inkwells. Several books were strewn around. Some were propped open, and others were bookmarked. It was a modest collection in comparison to the Royal Family's library, Zukto assumed. Despite its sparseness, Zukto could just imagine Zelda sitting at a desk and taking careful notes on whatever interesting book she had her hands on. Something was pulling Zukto forward, so he wandered down a connecting hallway. He found a small, modestly equipped bedroom. There were no windows. To have light for reading, candles were on a shelf. Only one of them was lit, barely bathing the room in a dim light. Zukto figured that more of them would be lit if the room was actively in use. A small desk sat in the corner, and a book had been left in the middle of it. Zukto approached the desk so he could inspect the book. The book was titled, _The History of the Kingdom of Hyrule_. Zukto could not help but smile to himself; of course she spent her time reading books like that, even in her youth. He also wondered if she had ever looked at picture books or children's stories. Her personality certainly did not make it seem likely.

Randomly, he noticed something colorful sitting on the bed. He approached it, and picked it up. It was a pretty, albeit dirty, doll. He stared at it, surprised.

_Huh, so she had dolls when she was younger? I guess that it pretty normal, though her personality now makes it seem strange…_ He studied the doll intently. He took notice of her slightly tangled hair, her dusty face and faded dress…

"Zukto?!" Someone seemed surprised to see him. He was surprised too, having his thoughts so abruptly interrupted. He did not expect anyone else to be here. He looked up, and was even more surprised to be facing Zelda herself.

"Ah, P-Princess, I was just…" Zukto stammered, feeling slightly embarrassed that she caught him looking around.

Zelda looked a little embarrassed too, but she walked over to the desk and stared at a wall away from him.

"I… I stayed here whenever I left the Castle." She explained.

"You really liked it here, didn't you?"

"Yes. This was my second home."

"Where is your first home?"

"…Come." Zelda quickly left the small room, still avoiding Zukto's gaze. Zukto gently laid the doll down on the bed, and followed his friend. While Zukto was following Zelda, he passed by Impa. She seemed to understand that Zelda was going to show Zukto something, so she looked at Zukto as if to say, "Come back later."

The pair left the Temple. Zukto was surprised to see the sun clearly now, but it was not yet high in the sky. He looked at Zelda and studied her carefully. She looked really exhausted. He wanted to say something, but he could not think of anything helpful to say. He mentally kicked himself for remaining silent.

Eventually, Zelda brought him through Kakariko. It was easier to see everything now, and some villagers appeared to be working already. The two of them stopped before a lone, dead tree. Near the tree, Zukto noticed the charred remains of a building.

"…I… lost my first home. I guess… there was a fire, and since nobody lived there…" Zelda said to no one in particularly, looking miserable. Combined with her obvious exhaustion, she looked terrible. Zukto felt horrible because of her mood, but he also felt like he was doing a poor job of helping her.

"Princess…"

"Do not call me that. Not here…" She muttered, averting her gaze.

"…Zelda, you cannot run away from yourself all the time. You cannot change the reality of your connection to the Royal Family."

"But why not?! They chose not to be associated with _me_ when I was born! They threw me away! They even left me alone after my parents' death…" Her expression was a combination of pain and anger. Zukto craned his neck a bit to try and see her face, and was sure that he saw tears welling in her eyes. He could not stop himself after seeing her like that. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Princess Zelda, I know I am ignorant of many things. But I have this feeling… something is telling me that we do not know the entire story. There is more going on that we have no knowledge of. That includes the situation of your upbringing. Please, do not despair. If you keep your heart and mind open, I know you will be able to find the answers to the questions that have been weighing on you. And I promise that I will always be here to help and support you." Zelda was surprised at Zukto's gesture, but she did not protest. She even wrapped her arms around Zukto in return, which he was not expecting at all. She hid her face from him as best as she could, not wanting him to see her upset.

"Th-thank you… Zukto… I am sorry… I hate being alone… you know, I… I have not hugged someone in a long time…" Zukto heard her trembling voice, and was sure that he also heard her quietly sniffling: she was crying. Zukto felt like someone cleaved his heart in two.

"You will never be alone again. Okay? I am always going to be here. Do not worry about the future. We can face it together."

Zelda withdrew herself from Zukto's embrace wordlessly. She still was not looking at him.

"I…Zukto…" She started, quietly.

"Yes?"

"I… was wondering… n-never mind. Sorry." Zelda abruptly apologized and ran off. Zukto's hopes fell. He was wondering if she was going to ask something that pertained to the both of them, but clearly she was holding herself back. Zukto sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed like they might have had a moment there, but he could not quite tell due to her running off.

_I have to figure out how to help her… I feel useless… oh! Right! I need to find Impa again._

Zukto ran back towards the Graveyard, because he noticed that the Shadow Temple was somewhere nearby. When he arrived, the strange, old man was nowhere in sight. Thankfully for Zukto, Impa was there. He approached her quietly.

"Zukto, stand beside me." She requested without even turning to see who was behind her. Zukto could not help feeling impressed that she knew who was behind her without hearing someone's voice or turning to face them. He approached her as instructed, and looked at whatever was keeping her attention. It was an ordinary-looking grave marker at first glance, but a phrase was etched into the tomb that immediately sparked his interest. It read, "This family shall be forever honored for their service to the Royal Family of Hyrule." The date of their passing seemed to be about ten years ago…

"Is this…?" Zukto began.

"Yes. This grave marks the resting place of Zelda's foster parents."

"Do you know why she lived here for more than half of her life?"

"I do, but it is not my position to say. Only one person may speak of the decision to have Zelda live here, and that is none other than His Highness, the King of Hyrule himself." Impa responded, matter-of-factly.

"But she is so miserable! You know it, too. She thinks she was abandoned! Just tell me; or her even! Everything will be better if you do."

"Zukto… I cannot. Someday you will understand everything, including why I cannot reveal that information at this time. I do not blame you for your concern of her, but this situation is not that simple. Her foster parents understood it; that is why they never said anything, either."

"All of you knew?! And you just watch her suffer?!" Zukto felt really confused and angry.

"Zukto, please calm yourself. Shall we discuss our original project?" She deftly closed the previous topic of discussion.

"… Yes, I apologize. So did you find whatever it was you were looking for?" Zukto asked. She did not reply, but she held out a fist. When she opened it, something fell out about a foot before stopping. A chain was wrapped around one of her fingers, keeping it suspended in air. The item was a small, golden crescent-moon-shaped pendant.

"What is it?"

"I got this many years ago. I will give it to you, so that you can help Zelda. Before you give this to her, however…"

"Before I give it to her?"

"Keep it with you. It needs to absorb your power. I hope that, if your feelings are true, the pendant will respond to those feelings and defend… the object of your affections." Impa seemed to choose her last few words very carefully. Zukto was temporarily taken aback, but he looked at Impa seriously.

"It is true. I harbor feelings for the Princess."

"Have you told her?"

"Kind of… I told her when she was under the influence of her other self. So I suspect that she does not remember me saying it." Zukto sighed.

"…Do not give up, if your heart is true. I hope you realize that… getting involved with her will be trying. I ask that you reflect carefully on your thoughts so that you can act accordingly. This situation is very likely to have an impact on your journey, so exercise caution and reason." Impa looked serious. Even though she was being stern, Zukto realized that she was not trying to talk him out of it. Was she supporting him?

"Sage Impa… I promise that I will not let you down." Zukto extended his hand to accept the pendant. Impa smiled with relief. Zukto was struck by her obvious devotion to the Princess. She gently laid the necklace in his open hand. Zukto studied it carefully.

"Thank you. When should I give it to her?"

"You will know when the time is right. I leave it to you…" Impa turned away from Zukto. He thought her behavior a little odd: she always looked at who she was speaking to.

"Impa?" Zukto asked, partly curious and partly concerned.

"Zukto… I am… relieved. Thank you for showing me hope." Without warning, Impa tossed a Deku Nut at the ground. It erupted with a blinding flash when it made contact with the ground, causing Zukto to flinch and protect his eyes with his arm. When the flash subsided and he could see again, he found himself alone next to the grave of Zelda's family from Kakariko. He stared at the grave.

"I know you loved and cared for Zelda like one of your own, and she loved you greatly. I thank you for watching over her. And I hope that you continue to watch over her. But I want you to know that I love Zelda, and I will help you to watch over her." Zukto said to the grave. Feeling satisfied, he left the graveyard. He gripped the pendant firmly.

_Hm… it would have been nice if I had this thing earlier… I am pretty sure that it would have absorbed a decent amount of power before I met Impa just now…_ Zukto's mind wandered back to earlier, when he held Zelda near her old house. Looking back, he realized how much he liked having her so close to him. It was just too bad that she was utterly miserable at the time.

Mulling over their journey, it was apparent to Zukto that Zelda slowly seemed more normal as time progressed, despite her troublesome dual personality that had a taste for blood. While his thoughts continued, he regretted being so narrow-minded. Of course she was normal. She was simply different, and her differences were mostly born of her unusual circumstances. She needed support just like everyone else; it was just hard for her to ask for it or to admit it. But something in Zukto's mind said that everything would be okay. He felt oddly at peace.


	14. Memories that Resurface and Disappear

Finally, after everything that had happened, Zukto's exhaustion caught up with him. He returned to Impa's place and collapsed on a couch in the living room. Sleep overcame him instantly.

"Excuse me, do you mind helping me out? I have not traveled this far before." Zukto asked the lone, shadowy figure. It was really dark out: the moon was mostly covered with clouds, blocking out a lot of the light. He was surprised to find someone else traveling at such an hour, but he also felt fortunate because he had no idea where he was.

"Sure, what do you need?" The dark figure stopped, and turned to face him. Zukto quickly caught up to the figure, but stopped short because he was surprised to see that the figure looked as if it was a ghost. The figure had the shape of a person, but it was opaque and a bit fuzzy-looking. He tried to hide his confusion about the being before him.

"I need to go to Kakariko Village. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure I do. I am going there myself. Follow me." The ghostly person led him for a bit, remaining quiet. Zukto was too curious to keep quiet, though.

"Why are you out so late? Aren't your parents worried?" He asked. It hit him that it was a weird question to ask a ghost, but he could not stop himself from asking it. It was as if he _had_ to ask that question.

"…I am running away from home, actually. Maybe they are worried, but I do not much care. I hate it there."

"If you don't mind my asking: why?"

"Hm… they picked a few tutors for me, but my tutors are pathetic. They always dodge my questions, and they do not let me read what I want to read. They are always trying to tell me how to act and what to do and say. It is suffocating. My home is not a home… it is a prison."

"That… sounds pretty terrible. Why don't you tell your parents about what's going on?"

"They already know, and they refuse to find new tutors. They keep trying to convince me that my current ones are excellent, but I do not see it."

"I am sorry about that… I am at a loss about it, really. Where do you live?"

"Castle Town."

"Why are you running from Castle Town to Kakariko? I thought Castle Town was the best city in Hyrule."

"I have a different tutor in Kakariko who is far superior to anyone in the entire Kingdom."

"Wow, you seem to feel strongly about this tutor. How did you find this person?"

"Actually, my tutor found me. She is amazing."

"You seem to be an unusual person. Almost no one I know takes their studies seriously, especially people close to your age." Zukto observed.

"Hm… yeah. I guess I am pretty unusual, all things considered."

"Well, for the record… I don't think it's a bad thing. I kind of… respect you, you know? For some reason, I feel like you can do things that other people can't. Sorry, I guess that doesn't really make any sense…" Zukto felt like he was spouting nonsense, but the ghost person seemed to blush.

"… Do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?" Zukto looked confused.

"I think the situation is really complicated… I think… you and I were fated to be born as we were. But fate is not absolute. We can bend it to our will."

"Is there something about your future that you are trying to change?"

"Yes."

"I wish you luck. I have faith in you." Zukto smiled. The ghost smiled back.

"My tutor is the only other person who says that to me! You know… I… I think I like you!" The ghost declared. Zukto was taken aback, but he was flattered. Oddly, he was struck by this individual. It did not really bother him that he could not see a single feature on the ghost, save its smile.

Suddenly, the world dissolved around him.

Zukto opened his eyes, and found himself in Impa's house.

_Oh… so it was a dream then… but it felt so real… like I was actually there…_ Zukto sighed.

Suddenly, Impa appeared in the room.

"Ah, Master Impa. I apologize for sleeping here. I was just so…" Before he could finish, she held a hand up to silence him.

"Worry not, my child. Your group, but especially you and the Princess, works very hard. And I realize that you two slept rather poorly the night before."

"You know, I completely forgot about that." He muttered.

"Forgot what?"

"Er, uh, nothing. It… is not my place to talk about it." He stammered, thinking about Zelda's nightmares. He wondered how many sleepless nights she spent by herself just to avoid the awful memories of one of the worst days in her life. It made him feel helpless.

"Well, that's fine. But I heard you talking in your sleep. Are you alright, Zukto?"

"I did? Well, I had a dream. But it seemed so realistic…"

"What if it was not actually a dream?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It could have been a memory." Impa offered. Zukto fell silent, carefully thinking about her idea.

"… Maybe. Thanks, Master Impa."

"I have faith in you." She smiled encouragingly. Zukto's eyes widened.

_I… I said that exact same thing in my dream… How… strange…_ Before he could say anything, Impa had mysteriously disappeared. But this time, it was not surprising. He was growing accustomed to her way of appearing and disappearing soundlessly. He remained there wordlessly, trying to remember everything about the dream he had and the situation surrounding it. Closing his eyes, he focused on the ghostly figure. Again, he could not discern anything about the person except the shape.

"I wish I could remember you…" Zukto muttered.

"Remember who?" Zelda asked, startling Zukto.

"Princess! I did not realize you were there. Sorry."

"You are pretty easy to surprise. You know… you do not really seem that different from me. Always busy with your own thoughts." She observed, somewhat ironically. Zukto laughed.

"Great, there's no going back now if you think I am like you." He teased.

"Very funny. What were you trying to remember?" As always, she was straight to the point.

"I think something happened when I was younger. I met someone. But until recently, I did not even realize that I had forgotten about that person and the night we met." He explained.

"… I understand. Many holes exist in my own memories." Zelda said, looking away at nothing in particular. Zukto felt a little helpless suddenly.

"Do you ever try and remember what you have forgotten?"

"I used to try. But not anymore: it is pointless. No matter how much I try to penetrate the darkness, the darkness prevails."

"I have faith in you." Zukto stated, without thinking about what he said. She looked at him questioningly.

"… I appreciate your support, Zukto. You deserve the position the Goddesses bestowed upon you."

"I do not know if I actually deserve it. I have to admit… I was pretty suspicious of Link. Maybe I still kind of am. But thus far, he has helped us without question. And he said something that I cannot ignore. He mentioned that he has done nothing heroic yet, and he did not even seem set on earning himself such a title. Because of his… modesty, or honesty, or humility… maybe even a combination of the three… he deserves my respect. More so than I supposedly "deserve" my position…"

"You know, you kind of just proved my point. It is always hard to admit that you were, or are, wrong." She smiled with approval.

"Sorry… I just shared something kind of personal and unbecoming."

"No need to apologize. You seem to know a lot of unbecoming things about me. I might as well get even." She smiled slightly.

"There… there is absolutely nothing unbecoming about you." Zukto blurted out. Zelda's eyes widened as she blushed.

"S-stop joking around…" She muttered, looking away.

"Princess, listen." Zukto said firmly as he stood up. She looked at him nervously.

"Y-yes?" There was hesitation in her voice.

"I have to tell you. For a while, I…" Zukto started.

"Morn' guys!" Kyoshiro declared loudly. He scared both Zukto and Zelda, who had been absorbed in their private conversation with each other.

"Kyoshiro, we are inside a home. Try not to be so loud." Zelda lectured, using the situation to cover up her reaction to Zukto's earnestness.

"Whatever. We're all up." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Are you feeling rested?" Zukto asked. He was honestly really annoyed that Kyoshiro interrupted him at that critical moment, but he knew he had to deal with the cards handed to him.

"Yeah, I'm great. What are we doing today?" He asked.

"Wow, could you have made any more noise?" Link asked, a bit perturbed, as he appeared behind Kyoshiro.

"That was nothing. You slept long enough anyway!" Kyoshiro declared, smirking. Zelda sighed, clearly still exhausted. Zukto personally did not feel much better than she looked, but he suspected that he slept slightly better than she did.

"So leader, what next?" Link asked, clearly directing his question at Zukto.

"Well, Princess, did you talk to Master Impa about the visions you saw?"

"Ah, sorry, no. I got distracted. How about you go to see Goddess Din now, and come back when you are through. I can talk to Master Impa while you are gone." She suggested. Zukto nodded.

"That sounds like a fair idea. Link and Kyo, do you want to come with?" Zukto offered. They agreed to join, so the three of them left together.

Zelda just waited there for a bit after they left; Impa mysteriously appeared.

"Do you need me, Princess?"

"Yes, Master. You see…"

While Zelda discussed her visions with Impa, Zukto brought his fellow adventurers to the Temple of Time. They found the secret entrance inside that Zelda revealed to Zukto and Kyoshiro the first time they entered as a group. Link was just as amazed to see the secret chamber as Zukto had been.

"By the Goddesses, this is impressive. Thank you for bringing me here, Zukto." Link said, appreciatively.

"Well, you are one of us now right?" Zukto asked.

"Of course I am. I am bound to this mission just as you are."

"…I think I owe you an apology. I have been unfairly suspicious of you since the Princess brought you along." Zukto explained.

"Your honesty is appreciated, Zukto. If you are suspicious of me, I must be vigilant in my actions until I win your favor. I truly believe that I pose no threat to you or our friends. I will prove it to you." Link stared intently at Zukto, outstretching a hand. Zukto firmly shook Link's hand, understanding what the gesture meant.

"Thank you for your help. I know you have already stuck your neck out for us despite only just joining our group. Link… Thank you for being our ally." Link smiled at Zukto.

"You are a good man, Zukto. I am a pretty decent judge of character, by the way." Before Zukto could respond, Goddess Din appeared.

"Gentlemen? My, I do not see Princess Zelda. Where is she?" Goddess Din observed.

"My Goddess, Zelda stayed behind to speak to the Sage of Shadow, Impa."

"Well, I suppose that is fine if she has important business to attend to. Did you bring the next artifact?"

"Yes, here it is." Zukto presented the Mask to Din. He asked to borrow it from Zelda before they left.

"This is indeed the correct artifact. Congratulations, my Champion."

"If I may, Honorable Goddess: what must we do now?"

"Curiously, your team seems to have found your next mission already. Just as you wandered through ancient sands, you must now search through an ancient graveyard."

"Thank you, Goddess Din." Zukto bowed respectfully.

"Good luck, my heroes. Oh! Yes. Before you go… I am sensing a strong presence. You must be careful." She warned.

Back in the Temple of Time, the three men looked at one another.

"A strong presence?" Link repeated.

"You know, the Princess spoke of an orb, and many shadows. What if her vision is connected somehow to this presence that Goddess Din spoke of? After all, her vision is supposed to be of the future."

"Well, that seems plausible. But I feel like we have too little information. We should return to the Princess, and ask her about the conversation she had with Impa." Link suggested. The other two nodded. The group exited the ancient temple silently.

As they left Castle Town and made their way back to Kakariko, Zukto was surprised to see a ghost-like figure walking along. He shook his head and looked again; the ghost-like figure was no longer there. Was it real?

"Did either of you see that just now?" Zukto asked.

"See what?" Link asked.

"Something… out of place." Zukto muttered.

"… I see something out of place _now_." Kyoshiro observed, drawing his large sword. Link also drew his weapon, and quickly followed Kyoshiro's lead. A strange, reptilian beast with wings was flying around. When it noticed Kyoshiro and Link, it quickly went on the offensive. Link and Kyoshiro had no trouble dispatching the monster, however.

"Good work, you two." Zukto praised.

"Don't worry about it." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"What about your question earlier?" Link wondered.

"Ah, never mind about that." Zukto waved it away as unimportant, even though it was still troubling him.

The heroes returned to Impa's house as soon as they could. When they returned, things seemed quiet. Zukto welcomed Link and Kyoshiro to sit down and get comfortable. He wanted to look around to see if he could find Zelda. Methodically, he poked his head into the guest rooms. When he looked in the last room, he found Zelda sitting at a desk with her head down. He stepped lightly as he approached her. He could hear soft breathing, so he figured she was resting. When he stood next to her, he debated whether to wake her. Zukto remembered how the both of them had barely been able to sleep, so he decided to let her rest when she could. With that, he turned to leave. As he reached the door, he was surprised to hear Zelda speak.

"I will wait… forever…" She muttered. Considering that she had not said anything the whole time he was in the room with her, he assumed that her words were from a dream. Zukto was very interested in what she was dreaming about, especially because it seemed as though she was not having one of her typical nightmares. Being sure not to let his curiosity disturb Zelda, he left the room.

When Zukto returned to the main room, he was surprised to see that Kyoshiro and Link were nowhere in sight. Confused about their unannounced disappearance, he went outside to look for them. Immediately after stepping outside, Zukto was sure that he heard the sound of steel opposing steel. He wandered to the center of town and found Kyoshiro and Link there: they were fighting.

"Just what are you guys doing?" Zukto called.

"Training, duh." Kyoshiro replied, raising an eyebrow. The duo returned to their practice session without waiting for Zukto to respond. Zukto shrugged and decided to leave them alone. He wandered away from the center of town, towards the entrance. A tree was oddly growing by itself right in the middle of the pathway into town; Zukto decided to sit on the ground and lean his back against the tree. He closed his eyes and focused on the slight breeze that wafted through town. The sun, high in the sky, cast its warm rays in Zukto's direction. He felt somewhat relaxed…

It was night all of a sudden. Zukto could not remember when it had turned dark. He was looking for something, but he could not remember what it was. Eventually, he found a girl. He thought it was strange that this girl was wandering around in the dark by herself. She turned around to face him before he could call out to her. Her mouth began to move, and he assumed that she was speaking to him, but he could not hear what she was saying. Strangely, he was also unable to hear himself. Since the conversation he could not hear was of no consequence to him, he studied her. She looked normal, except for the fact that her face was an opaque-ish white. It was strange that her face was missing, but for some reason it was not a huge concern. They continued to talk together for a while as they wandered around. As far as Zukto could tell, they were not going to any specific place.

All too soon, Zukto's eyes opened. He realized, as he glanced around Kakariko, that he had been dreaming again. The sun was hanging lower in the sky by this time. Zukto strained to listen, and could not hear the clash of steel. So were Kyoshiro and Link done training?

"… Who are you? I must remember…" Zukto muttered. Suddenly, a shadow cast itself over Zukto. He looked up to discover the shadow's owner: he met Zelda's gaze.

"So here you are." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Earlier you were asleep. I did not want to bother you, so I spent some time out here."

"Thanks for letting me rest. How was your meeting?"

"Oh, you know… same as always… oh right, Goddess Din did say something curious."

"How so?" Zelda's expression changed.

"Sit, Princess." Zukto suggested. She looked like she was thinking carefully about something, but it did not take long for her to sit down beside Zukto. He was glad that she did.

"So go on. What did she say?"

"She said our next artifact is to be found in an ancient graveyard."

"Ah, an ancient graveyard… meaning here."

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"Hm, yes. She sensed a strong presence? But she did not explain what that meant."

"I see…"

"So Princess, what about you?"

"What do you mean, 'what about me?'"

"You talked with Impa, what about? Oh by the way, why don't you take this back?" Zukto handed the Mask back to Zelda. She grabbed it, and fidgeted with it a bit.

"Master Impa thinks that when I saw the vision of shadows, I got a glimpse of our foes. The orb I saw is somehow related to the shadows. After all, the shadows were seemingly born of the orb…"

"… Wait, Princess… correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Goddess Din say our foe referred to themselves as the Darkness Orb?!" Zukto felt like something was clicking in his mind.

"… Zukto, she never said that to us."

"Then why… oh shoot! Duh. She said it to me when I first met her in my dream. That was back before I had met you."

"Wait, you knew the identity of our foe this whole time? Why have you not said anything before now?!" Zelda looked annoyed and surprised.

"S-sorry! There was a lot going on… I guess it slipped my mind until now…" Zukto felt really embarrassed. Zelda had a point, after all.

"Then I must have seen the Darkness Orb, but what about all of those shadows?"

"Um… you know, Goddess Din also said something before about… members of the Darkness Orb…"

"What was it? Try to remember, Zukto." Zelda urged.

"Oh, I think she said there are 13."

"13? 13 what?"

"Members? She didn't specify what that meant."

"… Well the only logical conclusion is that I saw this so-called Darkness Orb, and the 13 that are connected to it."

"I can't think of what else it would be."

"Hm…"

"So, Princess… is everything okay?"

"Everything is as always."

"Anything you want to talk about?" He pressed. Zelda sighed, thinking carefully.

"There is something that keeps trying to enter my mind. Maybe it is something I once knew. Something from my past…"

"I know what you mean. I think I have been having dreams lately, visions of my past. But I can't remember everything."

"At least you have a chance to remember what you have forgotten." Zelda looked listless.

"What do you mean by that? You cannot truly forget something, I think. Forgetting is something that is only temporary."

"I might be an exception."

"When you look back, what do you see?"

"I see… people, places, events… and darkness."

"Darkness?"

"When I find a portion of my memory that I seem to have lost, I can only see black… like my vision is being blocked."

"When did you… notice these blackened-out memories?"

"Only recently. And I think… they are occurring with greater frequency."

"Zelda…" Zukto muttered, feeling worried and frustrated.

"Do not worry about it. I do not believe that you can do anything to help me."

"Don't worry? Zelda, you are asking me to do the impossible. If you are really forgetting things about your life, do you realize how dangerous that could be? What if you… forget our goals? Or your abilities? Or… what if you forget about us?" Zukto felt panicked. Zelda did not respond, and she was not looking at Zukto.

"… Do you… know what is causing it?"

"I have nothing backed by hard evidence, in terms of knowing a culprit, but now that we are talking about it... I have this feeling that my memories are affected by…" She paused, as if to choose her words carefully. Zukto thought the pause seemed natural, so he continued to wait for her to finish her thoughts. She continued to draw out the silence though.

"… Princess, you were saying?"

"Hm? Saying what?"

_Saying what?! That's what she has to say?! Oh please do not tell me…_ Zukto suddenly felt sick to his stomach as realization hit him. The very thing they had just been discussing happened: she forgot about their conversation.

"Zelda… p-please… don't forget about me… I beg of you…" Zukto clenched his fists, trying to push out the unpleasant thoughts creeping into his mind.

"Z-Zukto? What are you muttering about? You are making no sense."

"We were just talking, and you… you forgot about our conversation!" Zukto was exasperated. She looked back at him, her face wrought with confusion.

"I… I apologize… I did not mean to… Please believe me… All I see is darkness… we were talking? How long have I been here…" She looked distraught, searching for something that was beyond her reach. Zukto instantly felt bad for getting impatient with her. Without thinking, he grabbed one of her hands. She was not expecting the gesture, so she met Zukto's gaze.

"What are you…?"

"I am not going to just let this happen to you. I will figure out what is going on, and I will stop it."

"Y-yeah…" She did not seem terribly convinced, or focused.

"… Come on. We should head back. It is getting late, and everyone is probably wondering where we are." Zelda wordlessly followed Zukto back to Impa's. Like always, the silence was uncomfortable for Zukto. He could not help but wonder about their situation. If she was starting to forget conversations as they were taking place, how would they ever make any progress?

Back at Impa's house, Zukto and Zelda rejoined Kyoshiro and Link.

"Our next target is here in Kakariko Village, likely in the Shadow Temple. Unfortunately there is someone, or something, that already knows we are here. We will need to be on our guard, lest we fall into some kind of trap." Zukto explained to the group at large.

"You know, Zukto… what if the presence Goddess Din spoke of… is your brother?" Kyoshiro had a look on his face that seemed to say, "Please tell me I am wrong." Zukto's expression was that of realization and uncertainty.

"… Yes… Kkladekk… now that you mention it, I would not be surprised if Kkladekk is indeed the presence we need to watch out for. He seemed very intent on interfering with us. I am kind of surprised you remembered him."

"Come on, I am not useless. That night was… seriously rough… it will be hard to forget." Kyoshiro looked pensive, for once.

"You are absolutely right, Kyo. I apologize."

"I suppose I missed out on something before we all met." Link observed.

"Ah yes… we probably should catch you up on everything. After all, you're a part of the group now. To be honest, it did not start that long ago…" Zukto began retelling their adventure to Link. Kyoshiro would periodically chime in, not wanting to feel left out. Zelda tuned everything out.

_He is here. We must meet with him. _

_No, I am not meeting with anyone; especially not him. _

_You are ignorant, you miserable girl. He is going to bring about a new future. He really wants you to join us, you know._

_Join you?_

_Yes. He says that we need you. You have incredible potential within yourself that you are not even aware of. We can teach you how to tap into it. And once he accomplishes his goals, he is sure to reward you._

_I have… incredible potential?_

_Yes. No one can help you reach your true potential except us. We will free you from the chains holding you back._

_But what is holding me back?_

_Your fate. You know it to be true. You are lucky that your imprisonment has not already begun. Before long, you will be a slave in chains to Hyrule's politics. _

_No! You are wrong! I am not going… to let them… _

_You do not sound sure of yourself._

_I…_ The whole time Zelda conversed with the voice in her head, she remained stoic and quiet. She felt defeated though, as if the voice was right. Suddenly, something else pushed its way into her thoughts.

_I have faith in you…!_ The new voice, completely unlike the manipulative voice from earlier, surprised her.

_Where did that come from…? And why does it… sound so familiar? Who… are you…_ The voice was comforting, somehow. Despite the voice making her feel more at ease, something within her suddenly gave way. Tears began to well in her eyes.

Having finished explaining everything to Link, Zukto glanced Zelda's way. He noticed her sitting perfectly still, but her hands were tightly pulled into fists. She was not looking at anything in particular, and tears were beginning to slide down her face.

"Princess! What happened?!" Zukto rushed to be near her. He crouched down on the floor, looking up at her with concern.

"I… I cannot remember him… He helped me… more than once… I can hear his voice, but I cannot see his face…" She muttered. Though her eyes were not focused on anything, her response indicated that she was not completely detached from what was going on around her. Finally, she brought her hands up to her face to wipe away her tears. The men looked at each other wordlessly, unsure of how to react to her uncharacteristic display of emotion.

"Do you… want to talk, Princess?" Zukto asked cautiously.

"N-no… I mean… sure…"

"So when we were talking earlier, I guess you were thinking about something else?"

"N-not quite. I was talking to someone in my mind."

"Oh, so the voice came back?" Zukto asked. Zelda nodded.

"The voice… was trying to convince me to do something… I guess that is not so unusual, because most of the time it is trying to manipulate me. While I tried to get the voice to step down on my own power, a different voice came to me. It said, 'I have faith in you!' When this new voice sounded, the other voice's influence faded. Suddenly, I felt better… safer… because of that second voice. The second voice… saved me." Zelda explained, still not looking at anything or anyone. Zukto felt a mixture of so many emotions that he did not know what to focus on.

_She just said it, the phrase I said in my dream… the phrase that Impa said… is this all a coincidence? Wait… does this mean that, the entire time, it was her…?_ Zukto felt like he was just about to figure out something vital, but he had no way to be sure that Zelda was actually connected to his dreams.

_I guess… I just need to wait and see if I have more… I need to be absolutely certain._

"Princess, I am glad that you told us what is going on. We cannot help you if we do not understand what you are going through."

"…Zukto, can you _really_ help me? I am losing myself; how can you possibly help me to regain the parts of myself that I have lost?!" Zelda practically yelled, forgetting that Kyoshiro and Link were still in the room. They both tensed up, unsure of what to do or say. She was no longer crying. Instead, she seemed bitter. Zukto fell silent and averted his eyes from her.

_She is right. What the hell can I do? What can any of us do? This entire thing is so fucked up…_ Even though he partly believed those thoughts, he suppressed them.

"Zelda, please listen to me. I already said that I was going to help you. Stop assuming that you can just take care of everything by yourself. You clearly can't!" Zukto retaliated, without keeping his frustration in check.

_Oh shit… this is not looking good._ Kyoshiro thought, fearing the worst.

"Maybe you need to stop assuming that you can just waltz into my life and 'save me' like I am some kind of damsel in distress! I am not some worthless, pathetic woman who needs know-it-all guys like you who are self-important and pretentious! You know, I spent my life trying to avoid people like you. And I thought that, with my being of age, I could finally be rid of people like you. But I was clearly wrong! Here you are, brazenly dangling your superiority over me like the rest of them! I hope you enjoy your own company, because I _sure as hell_ will not come looking for it!" Zelda fumed. Without looking at anyone in the room, she stormed out of Impa's house. The door slammed shut, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. Zukto felt numb.

"Oh god dammit… I am so stupid…" Zukto muttered, holding his head in his hands.

"What in Nayru's name happened here?" Impa asked as she suddenly appeared.

"S-Sage Impa, well… Princess Zelda and I got into a fight…" Zukto explained, looking miserable.

"That much is apparent. You cannot just leave her by herself. You need to go after her."

"But she will—" Zukto started.

"**Now**." Impa ordered, not letting Zukto finish his excuse. She looked angry, something no one was used to. The three did not hesitate to rush out of the door after Zelda.

_Oh Gods… please keep her safe…_ Impa slumped into a chair and covered her eyes with her forearm.

"Why do we have to go after her right after that shouting match?" Kyoshiro asked.

"… Oh no. Oh _hell_ no." Zukto muttered, stopping for a brief moment.

"What?!" Link brought a hand up, ready to draw his sword in an instance.

"My brother is here, I can feel it! We have to find her _now_." Zukto ran as fast as he could to the Graveyard, guided by instinct. The other two closely flanked him.

"M-mom… Dad… it hurts… everything hurts… please help me… why am I always so alone…" Zelda was on her hands and knees before her parents' grave, trying unsuccessfully to hold back tears. Her entire body shook.

"Princess, my dear Princess… why are you alone at night, sitting on the ground?" Someone asked. Zelda froze, recognizing the voice.

"G-get the _hell_ away from me!" She yelled, quickly standing up and turning to look in the direction the voice came from. When she could see him, her assumptions proved true: she was face-to-face with Kkladekk.

"You do not wish to be alone, correct? I can help you fulfill that wish." He pressed, ignoring her hostility.

"I am not interested in what you have to say. Get out of here." She turned away from him, staring back at the grave.

"Why must you hate me so? We merely started off on the wrong foot. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Kkladekk. I am a part of Darkness Orb." Zelda's eyes narrowed, as if the name was familiar to her, but she could not remember where she had heard it from.

"I do not know who or what that is. Nor do I care."

"Oh, you don't know about Darkness Orb? That is so strange… you know, my brother knows. I wonder… why didn't he tell you?" Kkladekk asked coolly. Zelda was speechless.

_Zukto knows…? And he never said anything…?_

"Maybe he only knew the name, and nothing else."

"Oh no, my brother knows so much more than that. You know, I… I asked him to join us a while ago."

"… What did he say?"

"Oh, he shot me down instantly. It was a huge disappointment, to be honest. But never mind him, my dear… you are so much more… valuable to us."

"… I am?"

"Of course! This land has fallen into a rut. It can no longer grow beyond what it is now. We come as liberators to this stagnant land. We come to breathe new life into it. But unfortunately, I lack what you possess. With your abilities, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. It is your job to lead Hyrule… but wouldn't you feel better if you had a strong support system? I have that to offer, and so much more. And when we pool our resources, we will be much greater at affecting change than if we worked separately."

"… How?"

"Come closer, and I can show you." Zelda was unable to resist Kkladekk's charm. Even though a voice in her mind was telling her to resist him, she stepped closer.

"Yes, yes… there we go… nice and easy…" He urged her on gently. When she stopped before him, he reached up and gently stroked the scar encircling her eye. Suddenly, an intense pain shot through her body. Zelda sank to her knees, holding her face with one of her hands.

"Zu-Zukto, help…" She gasped, falling to the earth.

"Zelda! Zelda, where are you?!" Zukto yelled as he entered the Graveyard. His voice ominously echoed throughout the cemetery. Kkladekk turned to face his brother, a smug look on his face.

_Shit! He's already here… please, don't tell me…_ Zukto scanned the area, and saw Zelda laid out on the ground.

"What the _hell_ did you do to her, Kkladekk?!" Zukto ran right up to Kkladekk and stared him down. He was livid.

"Ah, brother… you are too late." He smirked.

"Say that again. I dare you!"

"You. Are. Too. Late." Kkladekk began laughing menacingly.

"If you hurt her at all, I swear brother—" Zukto began, grabbing the collar of Kkladekk's shirt. Kkladekk did not seem fazed. Suddenly, Zelda rose to her feet.

"Princess?" Zukto asked, loosening his grip on Kkladekk. Taking advantage of Zukto being distracted, Kkladekk slipped out of his grasp. She lifted her face and glared at him.

"I am no mere Princess, you fool. I am a _God_."

"…So you are Zelda's other self."

"Of course. She cannot manage without me. I am easily her better half."

"You are lying. Why would Zelda need someone like you who is selfish, manipulative, cruel, and inhuman?"

"Hm, hm, hm… do you know _why_ I am as I am? I am this wonderful being _because_ of her. She is selfish. She is manipulative. She is cruel. She is inhuman. I am her, and she is me. We are one in the same."

"N-no way…"

"Do you deny the truth? Allow me to point it out clearly for you. She is selfish because she has a job that only she can do but she refuses to do it at all costs. She is manipulative because her first instincts are to lie. She has lied to you countless times, has she not? Her cruelty comes from her fixation on revenge. She wants to take life away, and she wants to revel in it after she succeeds. She has a lust for blood… she wants to inflict pain. This… is your so-called 'Princess.'"

"You just ignored every good thing about Zelda. Maybe you are just confusing Zelda with yourself." Zukto sneered.

"Aha, but you did not deny that Princess Zelda is as I say she is. So you recognize her nature, and yet you try to defend her anyway? You humans are all alike. You hide behind the small fragments of broken arguments that support your ideas, and you utterly reject everything foreign to your way of thinking. You are in denial, boy. Get used to the fact that Zelda's violence and anger are her defining characteristics. Because they are so strong in her, I am strong. I feed off her dark thoughts."

"Enough! Return the Princess!"

"Why would I do such a thing, you ridiculous mortal?"

"I will not just sit here and watch you use Zelda for your twisted goals."

"Use her? Boy, you misunderstand us completely. I give her my strength. She is invincible thanks to me. Remember when she lay there in the desert, bleeding to death? She would have died, had it not been for me." Zukto found himself unable to retaliate, knowing that she spoke the truth on this point. She smiled deviously.

"I challenge you, mortal! Show me the strength one must have to be a 'messenger of the Gods.'"

"Zelda would never fight me."

"But you are not dealing with Zelda… are you?" With an ominous chuckle, the woman disappeared. Zukto quickly looked around, in a slight panic.

_Shit… I have never been on the receiving end of Zelda's powers… and not only that, but they are greatly enhanced because of her other self. How do I defend myself…?_ He tried to remain calm and cautious.

"So, mortal… how does it feel to fight a God?" Her haunting voice echoed around the Graveyard.

"Show yourself, and I may have an answer!" Suddenly, Zukto remembered that he had the Fire Scythe with him; he drew it. He was not sure how to fight with it, but holding it made him feel more confident about the upcoming battle.

"… Where did you get that, mortal?!" Zelda's other half appeared, looking angry. Kkladekk also seemed surprised.

"The Gods granted me this weapon. Don't tell me you're afraid?"

"Silence, you worm!" She screamed, firing a beam of dark energy towards him. Without stopping to think, Zukto sliced at the beam with his Scythe. He was surprised that the Scythe sliced the energy in half, saving him from injury. This further angered his foe.

"I must kill you and take possession of that weapon, for Lord Kkladekk!"

"Just try to kill me!" Zukto challenged. She looked all-too-happy to oblige.

Suddenly, the woman in control of Zelda's body held her arms in the air before her. Zukto realized, too late, what she was about to do. Smugly, the woman grabbed Zukto's shadow. He was instantly met with a strange sensation. His arms felt like they were being forced away from his body. Slowly his weapon-wielding arm rose up, seemingly ready to strike. Just as Zukto had witnessed dozens of times already, Zelda was going to force him to run himself through. The anticipation of what she was about to do made Zukto feel sick, but there was nothing he could do to stop her.

Just as Zukto was bracing himself for the inevitable, the sensation of his outstretched arms faded away. A horrible scream echoed around the cemetery, and with a start Zukto realized that he had control of his body again. He quickly looked around to assess the situation: Link was standing a ways off, with the tip of his sword resting against the ground. He was panting. In the distance, the woman was doubled over.

"I-I cut the ties… that bound you together. Now, we can finish this…" Link explained. Zukto felt immense relief.

"Link, you saved my life. I owe you. But for now, please help me to save the Princess."

"I cannot imagine doing anything else right now."

"You damned mortals. No matter how many of you there are, I shall kill all of you!" The woman sounded livid. She quickly released a shock wave of energy from her body. It spread out throughout the graveyard, causing Zukto and Link to flinch when it passed through them. After the shock wave passed, large, dark thorns magically grew from the ground.

"Watch out!" Zukto yelled, pushing Link out of harm's way. The two were now separated by the massive thorns.

"Zukto!" Link called out, trying to make out anything in the darkness. All he could see was the faint outline of the giant thorns spread out across the graveyard. He looked down at the ground, where his sword was.

"I am fine! Get yourself a path!" Zukto responded. He immediately began slicing through the barbs, using his Scythe. Link followed Zukto's example, cutting down what stood in his way.

"Brother! How could you start without me? I thought your manners were better than this!" Someone declared loudly.

"Kkladekk…! I will not watch you take my friend away!" Zukto yelled. Slicing through a final thorn, he found more space to move around. As if on cue, Kkladekk appeared before Zukto. He looked smug.

"Oh, you will not have to watch me 'take your friend away' as you say. I think I shall have your friend end your miserable life." He smiled maliciously.

"You actually missed out on that. She almost succeeded, but Link saved me." For once, Zukto felt smug in his brother's presence.

"Ugh, why must everyone interfere?" Kkladekk groaned, looking less amused than before.

"Face it, Kkladekk… if you really want me dead, you better fight me yourself."

"Ha! Such arrogance. Your wish is my command, my brother! I will fondly look back on this day years from now. I shall erase you from my shadow permanently!" He quickly aimed his hands at the ground, shooting flames from them. The flames quickly encircled Zukto, trapping him.

"Zukto, be careful!" Link called out, trying to figure out how to aid his friend.

"You should ignore him… you have to worry about me now." Zelda's other personality taunted. She was floating in the sky. Grinning, she fired a ball of dark magic towards Link. Without hesitating, Link swung his sword at the ball of magic. The magic was sent right back at Zelda, catching her off guard. She fell out of the sky when her own magic collided with her.

"Goddess Nayru! I beseech your help! Contain the Princess!" Link cried. Suddenly, a faint light surrounded Link. The light gathered around Zelda, and manifested itself as a solid enclosure. Recovering from being stunned by her own magic, Zelda's other half stood up and tried to break free of her imprisonment. The magical cage seemed to withstand her efforts to escape, frustrating her.

"Princess, I apologize… but this is for your own good." Link muttered as he ran towards Zukto. Though the ring of fire was still keeping them separated, he was hoping to overcome any barriers Kkladekk could come up with.

"You know, brother… you can still make it up to me. If you would just join me, everything can go back to how it was. We are our only family after all… surely you do not want to fight the only true friend you had growing up?" Kkladekk crossed over the fire to stand on the inside of the circle with Zukto.

"Brother, I can never side with you. You changed. Someone or something is deluding you. Why did you come here, anyway? This domain is too good for the likes of you."

"Zukto… I feel as if we can no longer be in agreement. That deeply saddens me. But I cannot just abandon my goals now. Not after I have spent so long pursuing them."

"You might not abandon your goals, but I will stop you from achieving them."

"I cannot be stopped!" Kkladekk summoned a strange beast. Its body was on fire, but the beast did not appear to be phased. The monster lunged at Zukto, trying to pin him down. Zukto deftly maneuvered out of harm's way, before slicing at his assailant. The beast howled in pain, and its flame went out. The monster collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Kkladekk looked disappointed.

"… That weapon… is quite dangerous. I am surprised that you can wield it so easily."

"I am Hyrule's Champion. Of course I can wield it."

"Hmph, the 'Goddesses' that gave you that title are a joke. The Goddess on my side, however…"

"The Goddess on your side? You don't have one."

Just then, Zelda managed to destroy the magical cage that had held her hostage. Her breathing was slightly labored, but she seemed unharmed besides.

"My Goddess, please return to my side!" Kkladekk called, reaching out to her.

"She is not your Goddess! She is Hyrule's Princess!" Zukto declared. Link stood in between Zelda and Zukto, unsure about what his next course of action should be.

"Your so-called Princess has been my partner since ancient times."

"… What?"

"It is her destiny to aid my efforts. That is why, twenty years ago…"

"Twenty years ago?! Brother, now you are truly talking nonsense. You were not old enough to understand prophecies and distant lands back then."

"You underestimate me, Zukto, which is a costly mistake. I knew. I knew about Hyrule, even back then. I discovered that it was my destiny to find and control this kingdom, the Kingdom of the Gods. Just as the Goddesses you report to act as your guide, I also have an ancient guide. And my guide tells me that I must do absolutely everything in my power to bring the Princess to our side. Let us finish this, together!" Kkladekk called to Zelda, reaching out towards her. She smiled as she began to float closer to him.

At first Zukto was not sure how to change the situation to his favor. On the spot, he decided to shoot at Zelda. Not sparing even a moment, he quickly withdrew an arrow from his quiver and fired it towards her. She had been too focused on Kkladekk, so she did not notice the arrow coming at her until it was too late. It pierced her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. She screamed for a moment, holding her shoulder. In the next instant, she had pulled it out and tossed it aside. Instead of hurrying to Kkladekk's side, she slowly looked towards Zukto. Zukto kept his eyes fixed at her, hoping to make eye contact. In the moment that their eyes locked, Zukto yelled out to her.

"Princess Zelda! Please, wake up! Return to us! We… I need you!"

His words seemed to be the key to a lock that had kept Zelda's consciousness buried. Once she heard Zukto call out to her, she felt her strength growing. Her other half began to panic, holding her head and trembling.

"No! No, no! I am superior to you! I will not be suppressed!" She yelled out, angrily. At first, Kkladekk watched the events unfold before him with a look of horror on his face. But he quickly returned to his senses, feeling livid. Taking advantage of Zukto's diverted attention, he closed the gap between the two of them. He began to gather magical energy in his hands, preparing to engulf his brother in flames. Link had been watching the scene without moving, unsure of how to help Zukto. Finally, he knew what to do. He ran straight for Zukto, sliding across the ground until he stopped right in front of Zukto. He quickly thrust his shield up above them, blocking the stream of fire Kkladekk loosed. His shield was fire-proof, so the flames dispersed harmlessly. Link felt every muscle in his body tense as he stood his ground, determined to prevent Kkladekk from harming Zukto. Kkladekk stopped wasting his energy as soon as he realized it was futile. Kkladekk's ever-increasing anger scared Link, but he was starting to understand why the Goddesses sent him to find Zelda.

"Zukto, get back _now_!" Link ordered as jumped to his feet. He was ready to engage in combat directly. Zukto backed off as instructed, but readied another arrow as a precaution. He pointed it straight at Kkladekk as a warning. Kkladekk, not wanting Link to get in the way again, summoned a large beast that appeared to be entirely ice. It lunged at Link, but Link held his shield up to stop it from coming in contact with him. The monster seemed to bounce off the shield, but as soon as the beast came in contact with it the shield froze. The cold metal of the shield shocked Link, causing him to drop it. Kkladekk smirked.

Not wanting to lose a beat, Link drew his weapon and deftly battled with the creature. While Zukto thought that Link was keeping Kkladekk's attention, he ran towards Zelda. Before he got halfway to her, Kkladekk appeared in his path.

"You are amazingly persistent, Brother. However, I grow tired of this game." He fired a beam of energy at Zukto, but Zukto quickly pulled out his Scythe and sliced through the energy. It dispersed. Kkladekk lunged at Zukto, grabbing at the Scythe. He was hoping to wrestle it away from him. The moment he touched it however, his hand began to burn.

"Aaugh!" He cried out angrily. He quickly let go of the Scythe. Not wanting the opportunity to go to waste, Zukto tore past his brother. He fell to the ground before Zelda, who was still struggling to regain control, and pulled her to him.

"Princess, it's going to be okay. I am here. Please come back… I can't do this without you…"

At first, she fought against Zukto's embrace. But her struggling weakened, and ceased all together.

"Zu… Zukto… where am I…?"

"Oh, thank the Goddesses!" Zukto sighed with relief when he heard her voice.

"No! How DARE you!" Kkladekk seethed. Slowly, he approached the two. Before he could say anything else, someone interrupted the scene.

"Back off, Kkladekk! Those are my friends!" Kyoshiro yelled from a ways off. Just at that moment, Link succeeded in dispatching the creature of ice.

"Glad to see you finally joined us!" Link shouted.

"I always arrive when I'm needed!" Kyoshiro called back.

"While this is… incredibly touching… you are too late, boy! Watch your friends die right before your eyes!" Kkladekk declared, shooting flames at Zukto and Zelda. Just in time, Zelda used the last of her strength to erect a magical barrier to shield them. When Kkladekk saw that the two of them were safe, he lost it. Displaying a surprising amount of strength, Kkladekk pulled Zukto away from Zelda. Zukto tried to struggle against his brother's grasp, but to no avail.

"You brought this on yourself." Kkladekk explained. Before he could inflict punishment on Zukto, he felt a sharp pain course through his body twice. He let go of Zukto and staggered backwards while bringing a hand to his abdomen. Kyoshiro stepped back from Kkladekk, watching him carefully. Zukto noticed that Kyoshiro's sword was painted red, and that blood actively flowed from the wound on Kkladekk's body.

"Zukto… this is not over." With that, Kkladekk disappeared. When Zukto was sure that his brother was gone, he dropped the Scythe.

"Kyo… thank the Goddesses that you found us…" Zukto muttered, just realizing how tired he was. His breathing came in short gasps; he tried to steady his breath.

"Seems like I came at the perfect time."

"Oh Goddesses… that was tough…" Link dropped to the ground.

"I can't believe that we… escaped relatively unharmed…" Zukto muttered.

"You are telling me…" Link replied.

"What happened anyway?" Kyoshiro asked.

"We can talk about that later." Zukto answered, turning his attention to Zelda.

"How is she?" Link spoke quietly.

"I don't know… but…" Zukto kneeled down, to be more level to her.

_You saved my life, even after I got mad at you for something that you do not have control over. There's no way that your other self is right about you._

"How are you?"

"Mmmm…" Zelda slowly looked up at Zukto, but quickly looked away again when their eyes met. Suddenly, a rumbling in the sky interrupted their conversation.

"I think a storm is coming." Link observed.

"Let's get inside, then." Zukto suggested as he quickly picked Zelda up in his arms.

"Where?" Kyoshiro looked confused.

"Follow me." A voice commanded. Impa suddenly appeared from the darkness.

"Ah, Sage Impa. We are grateful." Zukto thanked her.

"That was such a tough challenge for all of you… I cannot believe that the Gods put you through that…" Impa muttered. Everyone looked at her questioningly.

"I consider you my children. As my children, I cannot bear to watch you struggle so. I understand that your lives are meant to be full of hardships, as you must be tested by the Gods. Only when you triumph over every challenge that the Gods present to you can you drive the evil out of Hyrule. But you are so young, and already risking everything for this Kingdom. I am humbled by your strength and courage, and yet I feel great sadness that you must endure the weight of the fate of the Kingdom."

"… I understand better all the time why the Princess is so attached to you, Sage Impa." Zukto said.

"How is my student?" Impa smiled briefly, but her stern countenance returned.

"I think she is resting. When her other half gains control, she loses her energy much faster."

"That is understandable. She can rest in the Temple. Take her to where you were earlier." Impa stayed behind with Link and Kyoshiro while Zukto carried Zelda to her room. He lightly set her down on her bed. He turned to leave, but he felt uneasy about leaving her alone. His misgivings notwithstanding, he knew that the others were waiting for him.

"What happened out there?" Impa immediately asked when Zukto returned.

"Well, we ran after her like you said. But as we got to the center of town, I could feel that… that my brother was near. So I ran as fast as I could to the Graveyard. Something told me that's where he was. When I got there, I saw Princess Zelda lying on the ground. My brother was standing above her. I talked with him briefly, and then the Princess stood back up. I quickly figured out that it actually wasn't the Princess, but her other half. We began to fight. I thought that she was going to run me through, but Link came to my aid just in time. Both of us were trying everything just to gain the upper hand. Finally we did, with Kyoshiro's help… but…"

"But?"

"Well, it was strange. Link and Kyoshiro were with me when I went towards the Graveyard. But when I got there, they were nowhere in sight."

"You know, I had wondered about that too. One minute I was with you, and the next minute I found myself at the opposite end of Kakariko Village. I ran straight back to the Graveyard, because I was thinking that's where you ran off to. But I could not remember how I got all the way to the entrance of the Village."

"M-me too. Except I did not find myself near the entrance of town… I found myself on Death Mountain." Kyoshiro piped up.

"Death Mountain?! How in the hell did you get there?"

"Beats me." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"Maybe it was Kkladekk. He wanted to separate us so that he could kill you." Link offered.

"Well, I would not put it past my brother to devise such a scheme."

"At any rate, I thank the Gods that you all are safe." Impa responded.

"Ugh… this just feels like one giant poe chase. I have no idea what we are supposed to be doing. We are told to go find something, so we find it. But finding one thing leads to another thing… and the end never seems any clearer."

"About that thing we discussed earlier, Zukto…" Impa started. When she noticed Zukto's face, she stopped to look around the room. Zelda was standing in the doorway, bracing against it to keep herself steady.

"Zelda, you must rest." Impa commanded.

"But… my friends… are they…" Zelda spoke weakly, looking concerned and in pain.

"Princess!" Zukto hurried to her side, pulling her to him so that she could join everyone else. He carefully supported her as they walked.

"Link? Are you… okay?" She asked slowly.

"Of course I am. Do not worry about me."

"Well, Kyoshiro? How about you?"

"I think I am better off than everyone else… and I…" He seemed hesitant.

"Hm?"

"N-nothing."

"Well… Zukto?" She asked quietly.

"You are safe now. That is all that matters to me."

"If I had… hurt you…" She looked ashamed.

"Hey, don't worry so much. It isn't your fault." Zukto muttered. But something did not feel right. Was he trying to assure himself?

"My student, what happened?" Impa asked.

"I was… in the Graveyard… alone at first. But _he_ showed up… and then after that… my memory is extremely incoherent."

"Kkladekk must have awakened her other self, which is why we had to fight her. He intended to have her kill me, but thanks to my friends…"

"You say that your memory is incoherent. It must be that your other self is tampering with your memories." Impa conjectured. The room grew silent.


End file.
